State closes its case against Enyobeni Tavern owners in which 21 young people died
|Published
SOUTH AFRICA- East London- 02 September 2022- Enyobeni tavern owners Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu appeared in East London Magistrate court for their own going case where 21 teenagers lost their lives at the couples tavern in Scenery Park East London- Picture by BHEKI RADEBE
Johannesburg - The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the State was its last witness in the case against the Enyobeni Tavern couple, Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu, in the East London Regional Court.
A total of 21 young people tragically died at Enyobeni Tavern last year. Their parents are still reeling in pain because they don’t know what caused their deaths.
Police Detective Captain Gerhard Swart was the last witness to be led by senior State prosecutor Advocate Tango Pangalele during the trial.
Among the evidence presented was from a neighbour of the Ndevu couple,witnesses who were present at the establishment when the incident occurred, Eastern Cape Liquor Board officials, and CCTV footage taken from the establishment on the night of June 26, 2022.
"The pair are charged with two offences, of selling or supplying intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18 years, and responsibility for conniving with and permitting employees and agents to sell or deliver intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18 years," said NPA Eastern Cape spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
He said they would be back in court on October 24–25 for the defence’s case.
The pair have pleaded not guilty to both charges.
About the main case of the deaths of 21 young people in the Enyobeni Tavern, Tyali said an inquest would resume in the East London Regional Court on August 31.
The Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Barry Madolo, decided that an inquest be held by a Regional Court Magistrate to establish if anyone could be held criminally liable, by commission or omission, for the deaths.
"At this moment, it is unclear what caused the incident, and hence the State declined to prosecute. The matter is referred for a formal inquest, which is inquisitorial in nature and will assist the State in establishing the cause of death in order to reach the appropriate legal conclusion. More than 30 witnesses, including experts and eyewitnesses, are expected to give evidence," said Tyali.
In June this year, one of the parents, Khululekile Ncandana, who lost a 17-year-old son in the tragedy, said he and other parents were struggling to find closure as they no idea what really killed their children.
"It's been a year since the passing away of our children; it is still as if it happened yesterday. The pain is still there, and it is unbearable, and there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered," said Ncandana.
The preliminary findings were inconclusive; the parents were told that their children died of suffocation.
Ncandana accused the government of hiding crucial information about the cause of the deaths.
"When those results were given to us verbally, we rejected them from the onset because we believed that something was being hidden. I mean, even today, a year later, we have nothing in our hands that tells us exactly what happened to our children. So we still have a lot of questions that have not been answered yet. And from what we were given and by whom we were given, we still have a lot of questions from our side," he said.
The Star