By Anita Dangazele
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found that if the authorities had done their jobs properly, the 21 young people who died at the Enyobeni Tavern would still be alive.
On Thursday, the commission briefed bereaved parents on the findings of their investigation into the 26 June 2022 tragedy.
The commission said that if the police had been more visible in the area, they could have noticed that the tavern was overcrowded, dispersed the crowd, and prevented young people from entering.
It also found that the Eastern Cape Liquor Board was issuing tavern licences even though they could not ensure that the taverns complied with the required standards.
“It can never be in the public interest to continue issuing liquor licences at a ratio of one inspector per 470 licence holders, as it would be physically impossible to oversee these licences,” the report said.
The commission also found that the Buffalo City metro failed to establish a drug action committee, which would have prevented the owners of the Enyobeni Tavern from operating it as a tavern.
Eastern Cape SAHRC manager Dr Eileen Carter said that although the commission found these institutions guilty of wrongdoing, it was not investigating criminal liability.
“Ours was to investigate the systemic issues and then monitor the observance of human rights as we are mandated by the Constitution,” Carter said.
Speaking on behalf of parents of the Enyobeni victims, Ntombizonke Mgangala, who lost a child in the tragedy, said they were pleased with the outcome.
“As parents, we are so pleased with the report, it has revived us. We were sort of giving up, especially after all the trials that have been done and the sentencing. But now the report is giving us hope in terms of the upcoming inquest.
“Also, it has given us answers to all the other things that we were thinking about [and that] we were not sure about,” Mgangala said.
In its 86-page report, the commission made several recommendations, including increasing the age limit of alcohol consumption from 18 to 21.
The inquest is expected to start in June.
Pictured above: The Enyobeni Tavern where 21 young people died on 26 June 2022.
Image source: Facebook
