Police in the Eastern Cape have made an impassioned plea to members of the public to allow the forensic team investigating the cause of the eNyobeni tavern tragedy to do its work.
It’s four days since the tragedy which happened at a tavern in East London and there is still no clue on the cause of the deaths of the 21 teenagers.
The provincial Health Department has confirmed that the bodies of the teenagers have been identified and released to their families. It says samples from the bodies have been sent to a lab.
Provincial police spokesperson Thembinkosi Kinana says their investigations cannot be rushed because they want to make sure that they arrest the right suspects.
“The work of investigation is a process. You need to be very meticulous when you conduct investigations and you don’t rush that process because at the end of the day, all those who are associated with the incident must be brought before a court of law and you don’t want a situation where one is brought before the law and at the end of the day you get a sense that the case was bungled, you know the wrong person was arrested.”
Kinana spoke to SAfm’s Sunrise programme about the investigation:
Another candlelight ceremony was held at the scene of the tragedy:
Recreational facilities for youth
Meanwhile, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, (CONTRALESA) has urged government to provide recreational facilities for young people in townships and rural areas to keep them away from alcohol and drug abuse.
CONTRALESA President, Chief Lameck Mokoena, has sent his condolences to the families of the 21 children who died at eNyobeni tavern.
Mokoena says what makes matters worse is that the tragedy happened during youth month.
“The tragedy at eNyobeni Tavern in the Eastern Cape is so unfortunate, we want to send our deepest condolences to the parents and relatives of the departed, this must be a wake-up call to our government to start prioritizing recreational facilities, especially in the rural areas. The non-availability of such is tempting to our kids to use taverns as entertainment centres. CONTRALESA calls upon the government to start and seriously consider the above suggestion. Condolences to the parents and we are saying may the soul of their kids rest in peace.”
