Young people who are upset and the families of those who lost loved ones inexplicably at a bar in East London’s Scenery Park on Sunday have demanded the immediate arrest of the manager of the Enyobeni nightclub in South Africa.
A party at the tavern on Sunday to mark the beginning of the summer break and the conclusion of the semester resulted in the deaths of twenty-one persons, many of them minors. What killed them was remained a mystery as of Monday night.
Langa Miya, one of the community’s young leaders, expressed their frustration with the tavern owners’ disregard for the law.
“What we want as young people is the truth. We want to know what exactly happened to the deceased, and the owner must be arrested for what happened at his tavern. How can he allow teenagers to enter the tavern?” Miya asked.
Over the weekend, 21 bodies were discovered at a nightclub in East London. At the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, the horrifying scenario began early on Sunday morning as frantic messages pleaded for help from the police, the metro, and ambulances. #Nighclubdeaths #Eastlondon #Enoybeni
A group of young people demonstrated on Monday afternoon outside the Scenery Park Police Station, calling for the arrest of the tavern’s proprietor. The a’re supposed to get together on Tuesday to plan a march to the pub.
This followed a prayer ceremony held with the families of the deceased by representatives of the Buffalo City Metro Municipality, the provincial administration, and the religious community.
Mayor Xola Pakati, Deputy Mayor Princess Faku, Council Speaker Humphrey Maxegwana, and Council Chief Whip Sixolisiwe Ntsasela all attended the service.
Pakati assured the mourning that the municipality would give the families 21 burials for nothing.
“We will do whatever it takes to support the families and we will hold a mass memorial service for the deceased next week Wednesday,” said Pakati.
Families of the deceased sobbed during the prayer time as they thought about their children who perished in the awful occurrence.
According to Xolile Malangeni, a parent who lost a kid, they want the bar owner to be charged with murder.
“No one was expecting the incident. We are still shocked and we want the law to take its course to resolve this issue by shutting down the tavern and arresting the tavern owner,” he said.
Following the prayer session, municipal officials met with locals at the sports field in Scenery Park, where a group of young people organized before staging a demonstration outside the police station.
The irate crowd yelled at the police to take action against the bar owners and asked that the establishment be shut down right now because it was reportedly allowing small children to drink there.
The young people of Scenery Park marched to the police station to demand action, according to Thandile Solani, secretary of the Scenery Park Youth Forum.
“We wanted to have a meeting with government departments because there are no facilities in Scenery Park. We want the tavern to be closed and action taken against the owner. We also want recreation facilities in the area,” she said.
The lack of a stadium or playing grounds, according to Solani, leads to youth engaging in dangerous behavior.
An interministerial committee (IMC) has been established by Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane to coordinate government assistance for the victims’ families.
“The IMC will be convened by MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe, supported by MECs Mlungisi Mvoko, Nonkqubela Pieters and Fezeka Nkomonye,” he said.
Mabuyane claimed that the 21 victims’ causes of death were still unknown and that they were awaiting the results of forensic examinations carried out by a group of specialists from the SA Police Service.
“The provincial government has this morning [Monday] dispatched a team of psychologists and social workers to render psychosocial support to the surviving victims and bereaved families affected by the Scenery Park youth tragedy,” Mabuyane said.
“The Scenery Park community, the province and the country at large are still in shock after this incident.”
Mabuyane welcomed pledges from local businesses as well as the NGO sector to support the families with the burial of their loved ones and to augment government services.
“We are pleased and appreciate the outpouring of love, prayers and messages of support, from general members of civil society, to the grieving families and the Scenery Park community at large.”
He said the Eastern Cape Liquor Board had, on Monday morning, served the owner of the tavern with a notice to temporarily close down the business.