Methanol ruled out as cause of deaths in Enyobeni Tavern

Parents and relatives of the Enyobeni Tavern victims at Scenery Park in East London are seeking legal opinion over the results they received as to how their children died.

The parents and relatives say they were told that asphyxiation was ruled as the cause of death. Twenty-one young people died in June at Enyobeni Tavern.

Parents angry over autopsy results:

Methanol was discovered in all the bodies of the deceased but was ruled out as the cause of death.

One of the affected parents, Ntombizonke Mangangala says they had hoped the results would help them find closure

“We have been patient enough, we have tolerated enough. We have trusted our government enough thinking that they would do justice about the death of our children, but now we feel now we have to take further steps.”

Earlier, the Eastern Cape Health Department remained mum about the cause of death of the 21 patrons.

Health spokesperson Siyanda Manana told the media they are busy informing families about the results and were advised by their legal teams not to make the results public.

Manana has indicated that the department will follow protocol and forward the document to the police.

“We solicited a legal opinion on the matter, and we were then advised that this is really what it should be so that’s what guides us at this point in time. There is nothing sinister about what we are doing and in terms of what we said, that document that we’ve read out to the parents, is a document which will be available. The parents know what to do and they are aware in terms of how to access the document in terms of the PAIA Act.”