A resident in Scenery Park, East London, jumped out of a window at the Enyobeni tavern on the night 21 youngsters died and others were hospitalised.
Nkululeko Alam told TimesLIVE he knew three people who died, one of whom was a relative, as he recounted the chaos in the club on Sunday night.
“I knew three people who died there. One of them passed away in front of my eyes. The other one complained about being thirsty and someone gave her a Savannah. After three hours she passed out and fainted. One of the people who died is related to me. She was in Alphendale in grade 12. Her mother is still crying today.”
Alam said the Enyobeni tavern bouncers didn’t help when people started screaming and running out.
“I was inside. When I arrived there I saw a lot of Jägermeister on the table. Someone offered me some. It was the person who ended up dying on top of the table.
“The bouncers closed the doors. Some people are saying it was a stampede, but how could the person on top of the table have been trampled? I jumped out of the window.”
Police are investigating the incident. However, many community members are angry that the tavern might reopen.
Alam is one of many residents who believe the tavern owner should be held accountable for what happened.
“I could have been one of the people who died. I could have been suffocated if there was any teargas. But I didn’t smell any teargas. But the owner of the tavern must explain what happened to the families of the people who died.
“The tavern owner doesn’t have the right to speak that way to people. That is why I am saying the place should be closed. He is saying the tavern is going to be reopened. We have lost our friends.”
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