Community Grief in South Africa

"We are so heartbroken, guys. We lost one of our family members, a child wo was doing Grade 12 [final year] this year. We can't accept it."

"By the look of the child she has no visible injuries."

Yandiswa Ngqoza, aunt of one deceased youth

"I'm so devastated. We are so angry."

"People were complaining about the tavern. No one was happy about it. The community wanted the tavern to be shut."

Maxhabiso Sibotoboto, 50, grandfather

"It is either something they ingested, which will point to poisoning, whether it's food or drinks, or it is something they inhaled."

"We are ruling out a [panic] stampede completely." 

Unathi Binqose, spokesperson, Eastern Cape provincial community safety department

Crowds gathered Sunday as police investigated inside the Enyobeni Tavern near East London in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. (Reuters)

"On Sunday morning at about 4am police from the Scenery Park Police Station received a report of the lifeless bodies of the teenagers at a local tavern in the area. Upon arrival police found seventeen bodies inside the building."

"It was later established two more died at a local clinic, one died en route to hospital and another died in hospital. Nine of the deceased are female while twelve of the deceased are male. "

"Police have since registered an inquest into the death of the teenagers."

Police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana

Investigation by police when the bodies of 21 teenagers were discovered in a tavern in East London, South Africa showed clearly there were no marks of violence on the dead. What led to their deaths appeared baffling to authorities who at first thought that something might have panicked the young people leading them to die of asphyxiation resulting from a stampede. Attention then speculated that the deaths might have been caused by ingesting something poisonous.

As yet no evidence of the reason for the sudden deaths have been revealed but a forensic team is working on the mystery. No comfort, however, to the grieving relatives of the young people, most of whom were celebrating the end of the school year in a tavern that was known to serve underage teens. One of the victims of whatever it was that took those lives was only13 years of age. The consensus at this point is that something they all ate, drank or smoked had been lethal.

Binge-drinking is evidently a common youth-culture problem in the area. Occasionally resulting in medical emergencies and/or injuries. So there have been previous reports of such incidents. All of which paled in comparison to the discovery of 21 young people dead in an inexplicable manner. People living at Scenery Park located on the periphery of East London had urged authorities to close the Enyobeni Tavern because of its reputation of serving to underage kids. It took this disaster of 21 dead to have its license revoked.

There are photographs that were circulated on social media showing the lifeless bodies of young people scattered across the floor of the tavern. Some were photographed motionless, lying across tables and couches. Outside a morgue holding the bodies, a news conference featuring Police Minister Bheko Cele paused as tears swept his countenance Sunday. The audience joined him in their mutual grief for the deaths of so many young people. In an interview preparatory to the publication of a toxicology report, Unathi Binqose speaking for the provincial community safety department revealed that hookah pipe wre visible in CCTV scene footage. 

"We call on parents and legal guardians not to abdicate their responsibility to their children or minor children entrusted in their care. As a parent myself, I am pained by this tragedy and cannot imagine losing a child in this manner. We grieve with parents and families at this hour and ask for your patience in getting to the facts around this tragic event."

"We are saddened by the loss of young lives, future leaders of our country, future breadwinners for their families, and for all the investments made by their families in them that now have evaporated in an instant."

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane

A body being removed on Sunday from a bar in East London, South Africa. Associated Press