Enyobeni: A Year Later
A year since 21 teenagers died in East London’s Enyobeni tavern, their families are still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
At a commemoration event held this week, parents and relatives lashed out at government, saying it had failed to tell them what really killed their kids that night.
On June 26 last year, the bodies of the teenagers, aged between 13 and 17, were discovered by police at the Scenery Park tavern.
Early media reports suggested the victims suffocated to death due to overcrowding inside the tavern, but official results into the cause of death were not made public.
The tavern owners, Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu, were arrested on charges of contravening the Liquor Act, for selling alcohol to persons under the age of 18.
In an interview with News24, Xolile Malangeni, parent of the late 17-year-old Esinako Malangeni, said: “It has been a very hard year for us. As the families, all we want is closure. Our kids died, why won’t the government give us the results?”
“They say we must apply to the courts. How can we apply to learn what happened to our own kids? We have had enough now. We also hear the tavern is selling empties, it’s supposed to be closed. We want to know how this is possible.”
But Eastern Cape police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu painted a different picture of the situation.
“The cause of death was communicated to the families of the deceased persons. The inquest investigation was completed and in November 2022 the docket was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a decision. The DPP has instructed that a formal inquest must be held, meaning that evidence will be heard in court and this formal process will determine whether anyone is criminally liable or not.”
Naidu said the docket was now with the regional court’s senior prosecutor, whose court is expected to set a date for the formal inquest. She maintained that the tavern was still closed and police were in regular contact with the families of the deceased.
Five East London Kids Hospitalised Following a “Pens Down” Drinking Orgy
Five school children received hospital treatment for excessive drinking this week following a beachfront party which saw an estimated 700 school children struggling to stand while others were passed out on lawns and pavements.
Held just days before this week’s commemoration of the Enyobeni tragedy where 21 teenagers died at a local tavern, the event was one of many annual “pens down” parties organised annually by school children to celebrate the end of exams.
Reports said a drunk boy allegedly attacked an anti-child trafficking group for trying to break up the party.
According to Lonwabo Yiliwe, the leader of Let Us Find Them, the boy threw an empty beer bottle at the organisation’s bakkie, leaving a small dent on the car.
Yiliwe said his organisation intervened because of fears that the children could be easy targets for child traffickers.
Assisted by local law enforcement officers, Yiliwe and his team managed to rescue more than 50 minors at the scene. The children were taken to their homes, or to hospitals, to sober up.
DA Suspends Nqaba Bhanga for Accusing Helen Zille of Racism
The DA’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) on Tuesday officially suspended its former Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga from all party-political activities.
DA Eastern Cape leader Andrew Whitfield said the PEC’s decision was unanimous.
Earlier, Bhanga was given 48 hours to give reasons why the DA should not suspend him.
His suspension followed Facebook comments he made last Saturday that Helen Zille, the DA’s Federal Council Chairperson, is ‘most racist’.
Bhanga was quoted as saying: “Helen Zille is the most racist person. She [has] got a file of all back people. Yesterday I learnt how she got information to try to destroy the ANC. I’m hurt to know that you were working with the ANC against me.”
In a statement Whitfield said the DA was deeply disappointed with Bhanga’s conduct which was “contrary to the party’s constitution and his previous commitment to the party and to non-racialism.”
Drought Stricken Gqeberha Gets Relief As City Launches Borehole Project
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro expected to add an estimated 40 to 50 megalitres of water to the city’s western suburbs this week, including Central and Ibhayi.
This news came out at the launch of the R60 million+ Bushy Park Wellfield Borehole project on Monday.
The project, which began in 2021 as a drought mitigation strategy, will take a significant amount of pressure off the city’s dams by pumping treated borehole water into the Churchill pipeline.
The metro is suffering a crippling eight year old drought which has seen several mitigation projects being undertaken. The Bushy Park project is the latest of those.
The director of the Department of Water and Sanitation in the metro, Barry Martin, said, the project was not only a drought mitigation solution but something sustainable over time.
But Martin warned locals not to be complacent and to continue saving water.
“We refer to our water supply as critical but stable, as our water usage is still too high at around 300 mega-liters per day,” Martin said. According to him, the metro’s combined dam levels currently stand at 25.73% capacity.
Gqeberha Woman In Court For Abducting Five Day Old Baby
A Gqeberha mother’s seven month ordeal ended this week as a 20-year-old woman appeared in court for abducting her son.
The accused was arrested on Tuesday after a dramatic investigation by a Dora Nginza Hospital social worker who found the baby alive at the accused’s home in Gqeberha.
Reports said the child is currently in the care of social workers.
The accused, Amahle Sigam, faces a charge of kidnapping after allegedly abducting the child in 2022.
According to reports, Sigam allegedly arrived at the Dora Nginza Hospital, after the baby was born on 22 November, and pretended she was sent by Noncedo Jali’s (the mother) family to assist with the newborn.
Four days later, Jali and Sigam were at the nearby Kenako Mall to buy a few baby items when Sigam allegedly gave Jali the slip and left with the baby.
A case of kidnapping was opened at Algoa Park police station
The case has been postponed to 6 July for purposes of drawing up the accused’s profile.
Woman Murdered And Stuffed In Trunk: Grandson Appears In Court.
The 30-year-old grandson of Mamokete Lucy Moea, a 70 year old teacher who was murdered and stuffed into a trunk at her home, appeared in the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court this week.
The accused was arrested last week and faces a charge of murder.
Eastern Cape police said Moea’s granddaughter reported her missing and later took police to the victim’s home, which she shared with her grandson.
After being questioned, the grandson directed police to a steel trunk inside which the body of Moea was found.
She had been brutally stabbed to death.
ARTICLE BY MANDLA ZIBI// EDITED BY CWAYITA ZWENI