Police minister Bheki Cele was understandably emotional after visiting the mortuary after the mysterious deaths of 21 youngsters at an East London tavern. Yet his default position was tone-deaf defensiveness — in this case, taking aim at the grieving parents. As mothers and fathers were still coming to terms with the haunting events, Cele suggested parents also needed to take responsibility for the tragedy.
He broke down in tears outside the mortuary on Sunday afternoon, saying: “A 13-year-old died. A 17-year-old. Nine girls died, 12 boys. And people ask: ‘Where were the police?’ A 13-year-old dies at 4am and you are asking where are the police — really? Why was a 13-year-old out at 4am?” He said parents needed to be aware of their children’s whereabouts and enforce curfews. “I stay with my boy who is in university in Cape Town. He came back home after 11pm on Friday night and I sat him down and told him: ‘You don’t come home after 11pm’,” said Cele, glibly sharing parental advice.
For the families of those who died, these are the worst of times. Now is not the time to sling around accusations; now is the time to search for answers.
For the families of those who died, these are the worst of times. Now is not the time to sling around accusations; now is the time to search for answers. Two days after the tragedy the parents are none the wiser as to what happened. Cele said the theory of a stampede had been ruled out.
While the police minister was half blaming poor parental control, the tavern owner, Siyakhangela Ndevu, distanced himself from the tragedy. He told journalists he was not there at the time of the deaths. He is yet to explain why his drinking establishment allowed minors in, why it was so packed that people couldn’t move and from where the alcohol and contents of the water pipes (hubbly-bubblies) had been sourced. Who is responsible for making sure this venue is safe in all respects? Who is in charge of crowd control? Why is a tavern apparently known to let minors in allowed to operate? The Eastern Cape Liquor Board has been quoted as saying it intends revoking the Enyobeni tavern’s liquor licence. It should also scrutinise other venues owned by Ndevu.
We cannot even start making sense of this devastating weekend without knowing how the youngsters died. The spokesperson for the Eastern Cape department of community safety, Unathi Binqose, said forensic pathologists suspect the deaths were caused by the youths inhaling or ingesting something. “It was something they ingested, possibly from the beers they were consuming, or something they inhaled from those hubbly-bubblies that they were smoking,” he told Daily Maverick. Finding out what happened needs to be the priority of all parties involved. Only then can we start discussing who is responsible and what measures should be taken to prevent such a disaster from ever happening again.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.