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Four years after 21 young people died in the Enyobeni Tavern disaster, their families say they remain trapped in the trauma of that night as they await an inquest ruling to determine if anyone will be held responsible.
For survivor Amila Dyabha, who turns 20 in August, memories of that night remain fragmented.
She had gone to the packed tavern in Scenery Park, KuGompo City, with friends, including Sinothando Mgangala, one of the youngsters who never made it home.
“We heard about the cause of death … I think about that night sometimes, but in bits and pieces.
“I was told Sinothando had gone home. I was shattered when I learnt she had passed,” Dyabha said.
She said she blacked out inside the tavern and woke later with an injured hand and without her shoes.
The findings of the inquest, which began in 2024, are due to be delivered on July 10.
For relatives of the victims, aged between 13 and 21, the proceedings reopened deep wounds, exposing details of how their children died while reviving questions about accountability and whether enough has changed to prevent another tragedy.
The Mdantsane regional court heard evidence from two forensic pathologists who confirmed that all 21 victims died from “crush asphyxia” in the packed tavern on June 26 2022.
Postmortems found evidence of severe pressure on the young victims’ bodies, while methanol, carbon monoxide and alcohol were detected in their systems.
Experts testified the substances were contributory rather than independently fatal.
A report compiled by the late Dr Solomon Zondi also suggested delays in reporting the disaster contributed to the deaths.
For Ntombizonke Mgangala, Sinothando’s aunt, the inquest has answered some questions while creating new ones.
She said the families were forced to relive the tragedy as postmortem photographs, video footage and medical evidence were presented in court.
“Not a single one of us was given therapy for that. We will cry and have to take care of each other.
“Some of the kids had to rescue and identify their dead siblings, but nothing has been done for them.”
She said promises made to the families after the tragedy, including that counselling would be provided and annual commemorations held, had never materialised.
“We are devastated and emotionally broken.”
Mgangala said hearing the evidence in court had been an overwhelming experience.
She said the families hoped the inquest findings would be followed by further investigations.
During the inquest, Enyobeni owners Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu denied liability for the deaths, maintaining there was no evidence linking them to the tragedy.
The Dispatch was unable to reach the couple for comment by the time of publication.
For Khululekile Ncandana, whose son Bhongolwethu died in the tavern that night, the anniversary remains impossible to escape.
“It’s a hard day. We are trying to adjust to losing children while we were watching them grow.
“It’s an everlasting pain. I will die with a gaping wound that refuses to heal.
“I hope that on the 10th, the inquest will be finalised and look at how we move forward.”
The families have established the Scenery Park 21 NPO to campaign against underage drinking and create a permanent wall of remembrance for the victims.
“Underage drinking is a growing pandemic in our society.”
Adding to their frustration, they say, is that despite a court order granted in October 2024 for the tavern structure to be demolished, the building still stands.
For many relatives, it has become a daily reminder that justice remains unresolved.
Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Luzuko Buku said the municipality remained committed to demolishing the building but was delayed after some affected families requested it be preserved while the inquest was under way over concerns it could still contain evidence.
He said the municipality would finalise the demolition “at the earliest appropriate window that [does] not compromise legal proceedings” and investigate reports that the building was still being used.
He said the municipality, liquor board, police and law enforcement agencies continued to conduct compliance operations targeting liquor outlets.
While the families wait for the court’s findings, authorities and campaigners remain divided over whether enough has been done to prevent another tragedy.
Eastern Cape Liquor Board spokesperson Dr Mgwebi Msiya said the board had strengthened its fight against underage drinking through education campaigns, tougher enforcement and stricter licensing regulations.
He said the board had introduced its Learner Ambassador Programme, in which four pupils — two girls and two boys — in each of 107 schools educate their peers about the dangers of alcohol abuse.
“We have also intensified our campaigns [against] pens-down [end-of-term parties] and have increasingly targeted schools around the province.
“We have seen a considerable reduction of pens-down parties over the past year,” Msiya said.
He said the board had also stepped up compliance inspections and warned that liquor outlets caught selling alcohol to underage people faced severe sanctions, including the loss of their licences.
Amended liquor regulations have also increased the required distance between schools and churches and liquor outlets from 100m to 500m.
Applicants must now submit municipality-approved building plans and provide proof of the number of people their premises can safely accommodate.
The liquor board urged parents to know where their children were during school holidays and warned against pens-down parties.
But anti-alcohol campaigners argue that awareness campaigns and tighter regulations alone will not address the problem.
Masimanyane Women’s Rights International’s Dr Lesley Ann Foster said society continued to send contradictory messages about alcohol.
“I believe that society is paying lip service to addressing substance abuse generally and alcohol abuse specifically.
“Alcohol producing companies invest huge amounts of money into adverts glorifying alcohol consumption and dressing it up as power.
“They then offer funding for prevention campaigns they call ‘responsible consumption’.
“It is a contradiction and an ineffective strategy.”
Nomcebo Dlamini of the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance SA said had existing laws been enforced, the Enyobeni Tavern deaths would not have happened.
“Access to cheap alcohol indirectly played a part in the deaths that were 100% preventable,” she said.
She argued that stricter taxation and tighter regulation of higher-strength alcoholic beverages should form part of the country’s response to drinking among young people.
Children’s rights activist Petros Majola said protecting children required a broader community effort.
“We do go to schools running moral regeneration programmes … but some parents are not helping us realise our dream of a country where children enjoy childhood and are protected from all forms of abuse.
“If an underage child is found drinking alcohol, or found intoxicated, a parent should be held accountable for failure to protect them,” Majola said.
For the bereaved families, however, the debate remains secondary to the questions they have lived with since June 26 2022.
They say the inquest has provided painful insight into how their children died, but not why the tragedy was allowed to happen or whether anyone will ultimately be held accountable.
Daily Dispatch
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