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Candlelight ceremonies held in honour of deceased tavern patrons

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Emotions ran high at the candlelight ceremonies held for the 21 young people that died at the Enyobeni tavern in Eastern Cape.

Learners and groups of young people paid tribute to those who died tragically on Sunday. The tavern has since been closed.

The death of 21 young people remains a difficult pill to swallow for their loved ones and the community at large. Friends and relatives of the deceased are emotionally disturbed.  Survivors keep on recalling the ordeal.

“He looked for his brother and could not find him and then pushed people and got out of the venue,” Luthando Ncandana explains.

The relatives are also appealing for the release of the post-mortem results.

Aunt to one of the deceased patrons, Nontembiso Msongelwa says they are appealing for the release of the forensic results.

“These delays make it difficult for the families to find closure,” says Msongelwa.

Another candlelight ceremony was held at the crime scene with young people calling for investigations into the sale of alcohol to minors.

“This tavern has been selling alcohol to minors. This is not the first instance and people know about it. We want it closed permanently,” Yolanda Dyani elaborates.

A mass funeral will be held next week Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Eastern Cape government says it is concerned about the circulation of information on the cause of death of the 21 youngsters. This follows some reports that allege that carbon monoxide poison may have caused the deaths of the patrons who were mostly teenagers.

SAPS provincial spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana says forensic investigations are still underway and specimens extracted from the bodies have been sent to the forensic laboratory for toxicology examinations. Police say a formal announcement will be made as soon as the results are back.

VIDEO: EC government calling for restraint regarding speculation around Enyobeni tavern deaths 

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