“It’s been too long now. Lord, help us find the boy.”

This was the desperate prayer of a family friend of the Magadlas asking for divine intervention in the search for their son Khayalethu, who fell into a manhole in Dlamini, Soweto, two weeks ago.

Day 10 of the search continued along Fuchsia Road in Klipspruit West where aquatic rescuers went into various manholes to physically inspect what a camera had detected on Tuesday.

While praying for answers, a sobbing Derrick Khumalo knelt down along the side of the road and called out to God. “Where there is darkness shine Your bright light so the boy can be found,” he said.

“If this is punishment for any of our sins, please forgive us, please Father. Only you have answers.”

A camera device that was sent down a 1km pipeline had detected an object on Tuesday evening which the rescue teams hoped would be the little boy. They had hoped to find Khayalethu's remains when they returned on Wednesday morning.

However, after inspection it was found that the object was in fact a rock –  adding to Khumalo’s disappointment. “It is enough now, the pain is too much to bear,” Khumalo said. “Lord, I ask that we find the boy today.”

He told Sowetan that he has watched helplessly as the parents of Khayalethu suffered in pain as searches came to no avail.

The only thing he knew how to do was to pray even if it is just for a sign of progress in the form of a shoe or a piece of clothing the boy wore on the day of his disappearance.

“At this point, all we can do is pray. Even if it’s just for his T-shirt, but we need a sign,” he said. “I have committed to praying at 12pm, 3pm and at 6pm. I will not stop until my prayer is heard. We have to find our boy.”

Wednesday's search was expected to cover 3km of the outstanding 6km stretch.

According to Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi, water supply has been cut in some areas to allow rescuers the ability to move in the pipes.

“We are satisfied with the portion that we have managed to cover so far and we can say without a doubt that the boy is not there,” he said.

If the 6km is complete and the boy is still not found, teams only have one place to look.

"We have different teams conducting the search. While some teams are are searching manhole, others are working to clear debris at the split chamber where all the sewer flows to," he said.

“If we don’t find the boy, we will have to wait for results at the split chamber and then from there decide how we continue.

“We are satisfied with the portion that we have covered so far and we can say without a doubt, the boy is not there.”