By Anita Dangazele
- The East London Regional Court found there is enough evidence for five people to answer to charges over the deaths of 21 young people at Enyobeni Tavern in 2022.
- The case now goes to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide whether any of the five are actually charged.
An inquest has found there is enough evidence for five people to answer to criminal charges over the deaths of 21 teenagers at Enyobeni Tavern in June 2022. Families gathered for prayer at the East London Regional Court in Mdantsane on Friday, ahead of the judgment.
Magistrate Mkhululi Lomalindi ruled that the deaths, caused by crush asphyxia on 26 June 2022, may have resulted from an act or omission amounting to an offence by five people: police sergeant Thabile Kondile of Scenery Park police station, tavern owner Vuyokazi Ndevu, tavern manager Siyakhangela Ndevu, bouncer Tembisa Diko, and Eastern Cape Liquor Board senior inspector Zuko Lizani.
This is what’s called a prima facie finding. It means the court believes there is enough evidence for each of the five to be formally charged and to answer to it, not that they have been found guilty of anything. The record of the inquest will now be handed to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide whether any of the five actually face criminal charges.
The 21 victims, 12 boys and nine girls aged between 13 and 21, died at the packed tavern in Scenery Park during a “pens down” party marking the end of school exams.
Vuyokazi Ndevu and her husband were already convicted in February 2024 of selling alcohol to minors, and fined R5,000 each. This inquest was a separate process, specifically to work out who should answer for the deaths themselves. More than 30 witnesses testified over nearly two years of hearings.
In October 2024, the East London High Court ordered the tavern demolished within 90 days and barred the property from operating as a tavern again unless it met all legal requirements. In April, the South African Human Rights Commission released its final report on the tragedy, making damning findings against the Liquor Board, police, and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Pictured above: Forensic personnel investigate after the deaths of patrons found inside the Enyobeni Tavern, in Scenery Park, outside East London in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, June 26, 2022.
Image source: Reuters
This article has been updated for clarity.
