WATCH | Cele: Medical expert to speak at funeral for Enyobeni tragedy victims

Family members of the 21 youngsters who recently died in the Enyobeni tavern tragedy in East London have started to gather at the Scenery Park Sports Grounds for their mass funeral.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to attend the funeral.

Top politicians and government officials have also arrived.

Police minister Bheki Cele said he was there to mourn the tragic loss for the affected families, and would not be drawn into divulging details about the investigation into the deaths of the children.

“This morning I received a report from the police. However, it will be dealt with when other reports have been finalised. The less said the better. I saw the programme for today and it looks like a medical expert will be speaking.

“Today I came to mourn and bury the kids. A lot needs to be done by all levels of government and the community in terms of our society .. to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again. We will put extra effort to work towards a better future for our kids. You all know my stance on this matter, but we are not here for that now. We are here to mourn and hold hands together during this difficult time,” he said.

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, Buffalo city deputy mayor Princess Faku, ANC national executive committee members Aaron Motsoaledi and Zizi Kodwa and ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukaitobi are among those who have arrived at the mass funeral venue.

Speaking to the Dispatch, Faku said the city would go back to the drawing board to review and tighten bylaws to ensure such a tragedy did not happen again.

“Today is a very sad day for the country, and especially the Buffalo City municipality. We have a partnership with the Liquor Board and social development department to do raids on a quarterly basis to ensure our children are safe.”

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