President Ramaphosa to attend mass funeral of Enyobeni Tavern victims

President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed his attendance at the mass funeral of the 21 people who died at the Enyobeni Tavern in East London. This mass funeral will be held on Wednesday, where a big tent will be erected on an open field at Scenery Park.

It has been a week and a half since the tragic death of the teenagers, but no cause of death has been released yet.

Deputy Mayor of the Buffalo City Municipality, Princess Faku says many dignitaries will be attending the funeral.

“The premier of the province will be present, the president will be here. The Minister of SA Police, the Minister of Social Development, and other ministers. As you can see even today the portfolio committee of women, youth, and children and people of disabilities are here engaging with the community.”

Buffalo City Metro is investigating whether the tavern’s structure complied with safety regulations: 

Meanwhile, officials from the Buffalo City Metro and the Eastern Cape Liquor Board have made surprise visits to liquor outlets in the Scenery Park area to check compliance with their operating licenses. The visit is aimed at informing tavern owners about their roles and responsibilities.

It is also about raising public awareness about the dangers of alcohol abuse.

The Enyobeni incident sparked a massive debate around underage drinking. The Buffalo City Metro and Eastern Cape Liquor Board have partnered to prevent a repeat of this tragedy.

They visited taverns to check on compliance, as Buffalo City Metro’s Deputy Mayor Princess Faku explains.

“Issues of compliance, do you have enough windows  that are open, is there enough exit areas for people to get  out, what time do they allow people to come in to sell cigarettes, alcohol and there is age restriction when it comes to that and also informs them if there are any emergencies, which people to call.”

Tavern owner, Thundezile Moya, says it is important to comply with the conditions of operating licenses when running a business.

“It is very important to comply and respect your business so that it can run smoothly even though we don’t like to be monitored every now and again.”

Patrons have also welcomed the initiative. “The problem is that children have got so many rights; that’s why it is easy for them to do what they want, government must limit children’s rights.”

Another patron says; “This is a good initiative, I’m hoping that they are not only doing it because of the incident at Enyobeni, there must be regular oversight.”