East London social worker Lindi Mkizwana was one of the first people on the scene last Sunday at Enyobeni tavern, where 21 under-age children died after a “pens-down” celebration. Since then, she and her team from the Sinako Community Health Care non-profit have been working tirelessly to counsel traumatised survivors.
“These children were damaged severely and are in serious need of emotional support. And it is not just them, every emergency responder and police officer who was there is in need of counselling,” Mkizwana told the Sunday Times outside the tavern this week.
She found out about the tragedy on Facebook.
“I could not sleep that night and just after 3am I was busy on my Facebook when I saw a post warning parents that a tragedy had occurred and if their children were not safely in bed, they had to go search for them under the dead and injured at Enyobeni.”
She started alerting friends, neighbours and the parents of vulnerable children she had been working with. “The names of children who were missing started streaming in and I made a list. On my list were 24 names.”
When she arrived at the scene at about 4am she was greeted by chaos.
“It was traumatic. The children were crying and hysterical. I heard one saying to another, ‘How did we survive while our friends did not?’ How do you answer such a question from a young child?”
She started finding the children on her list and crossing off their names one by one. “The police would not let me into the building but I found all the kids on my list. Nine of them were unconscious, but all of them were alive,” Mkizwana said.
“We took those 24 kids to hospital. Even that was a challenge as our organisation ran out of money in March. My 12 social workers and even myself work for a stipend of R2,500 a month. Since March we have been working for free.”
A local resident who owns a bus offered his help for free and the 24 children, aged between 14 and 18, were taken to Empilweni Gompo clinic in East London.
Mkizwana believes the death toll could have been even worse. “By Monday we had counselled 14 children who were at the pens-down party and by Wednesday a further 42 ... If you add the 21 deceased you have a minimum of 77 children who were there.”
She said “a complicated situation soon became more complicated”.
Some of the children were too scared to tell their parents they were at Enyobeni
— Lindi Mkizwana, health care worker
“Some of the children were too scared to tell their parents they were at Enyobeni and others went to school the next day because they were scared of telling their teachers that they were at the party. A lot of these kids refused counselling.”
The children gave her different versions about what had happened. “Some said there was some sort of smoke, others talked about pepper spray and some said they felt lumps in their throats and struggled to swallow or breathe,” Mkizwana said.
Many had bruises and minor injuries they sustained during the stampede to get out of the tavern. “The kids told me they were given meat and [cider] for free and also tots of very expensive brandy. Not Klipdrift, more expensive. What was strange is that most of the injured children had meat and [cider]. That is the only real similarity I could identify.”
While Mkizwana was talking to the Sunday Times several hundred children, activists and community leaders began arriving to demonstrate outside the tavern. She said she wanted to go hug the children.
The Scenery Park township where the tavern is located offers no sign of sport fields, libraries or other facilities where young children could spend their leisure time.
“Scenery Park is a dump. It is a criminal hotbed and always has been,” a senior police source from the area said. “Corruption and bribery is rife.”
The source said the tavern deaths should never have happened. “A simple thing like uniformed police doing their job when patrolling should have prevented that. I feel sorry for the station commander, who is a good policeman, but he is outnumbered by the bad apples.”
The source said police acted with alacrity when the scale of the tragedy became clear.
“Calls went out to all stations in the greater East London area and suddenly almost the entire Eastern Cape police service sprang into action. I understand pathologists already started with some of the autopsies on the same day. That is almost unheard of in the SAPS.”
An 18-year-old Scenery Park resident who was at the tavern when the party started on Saturday night said it was “very full”, and that he had seen the owner, Siyakhangela “Sakhi” Ndevu, on the premises.
“The tavern advertised free booze and Wi-Fi. The first 10 female arrivals received free homemade punch. I don’t know if there was punch again later,” he said.
The teen said that by 1am on Sunday only one of the tavern’s bouncers was still on duty. “I saw him talk to the owner, Sakhi Ndevu, on the premises, even if Sakhi later told people he was not there. At that time the situation was out of control. The tavern was full at the top and the bottom and the bouncer forced the door closed so more people could not enter.”
Ndevu, who visited the premises on Thursday with police investigators, declined to respond when the Sunday Times asked him about allegations from the 18-year-old patron and others who were there that night — including that homemade alcohol was served.
Attempts to contact him later on the telephone number he provided were in vain.
The teen described a scene of confusion in the early hours of Sunday.
“People on the outside tried to get in and the ones inside tried to get out. Then everybody lost control. People fought to get out. Some even used the windows. I saw people lying on tables and I thought they were just passed out. Later we found out they were dead.”
Tears filled the teen’s eyes.
“I saw one boy carrying his girlfriend out, only to realise outside that she had no pulse. Another girl came walking out with a [cider]. She looked very drunk and went to go stand with her head against a random guy’s shoulder. Suddenly she fell to the ground. Also dead.
“I saw one boy jump from the balcony and one girl, maybe 14 or 15, jump from the window. There was a strange smell in the tavern, but I don’t know what it was.”
Despite the smell, the teen dismissed reports that a petrol generator had been spewing carbon monoxide into the room at the time of the deaths.
“That is not true. There was no load-shedding when this happened and the generator was not running. I know the tavern well. Even when they have to use the generator, it is outside next to the kitchen door.
“Not one of the DJs, barmen or other staff members were hurt. If it was the smoke from the generator at least some of them would also have had problems.”
A barman from another tavern in the area said he went to Enyobeni after his own shift had finished.
“All the staff of other taverns who feel like a drink after work will go to Enyobeni because we know they don’t worry about liquor regulations. We have to close at 2am but they often operate until as late as 6am.”
This man also said Ndevu was present as the tragedy unfolded. “I finished a little earlier than normal and went to Enyobeni. The owner’s wife, who cooks and sells meat to customers next to the counters, was also there.”
The source said Ndevu appeared to realise “there were going to be problems”.
“His son is an initiate in initiation school. At around 2am he left to go fetch his son to take him elsewhere because he was scared of revenge by the community. Kids were already starting to get hurt at that point.”
The barman said he saw two dead children lying outside at 2.30am. “Staff members were carrying other dead kids back into the tavern.”
He said some of the children had reported seeing a person inside spraying something that might have been pepper spray immediately before the stampede for the exit. “They said they saw a hand raised above the people spraying something like pepper spray.”
This man said load-shedding had ended “at least an hour before the trouble started”, and confirmed that the generator was outside the building.
“Why would they bring it into the building only this one time? Everybody knows it is dangerous in an enclosed space.”
Dr Jacques Koning, an internist at Pretoria’s Netcare Montana Hospital, told the Sunday Times the accounts of witnesses did not support the carbon monoxide theory. “If it was carbon monoxide the older people and especially smokers would have gotten hurt first. Younger people have a stronger tolerance.”
He said the witness accounts were more in line with the intake of methanol, a toxic form of alcohol.
“It would be significant to know how the survivors were treated. If they were given ethanol and a drip they were treated for methanol poisoning. If they were given oxygen they were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning,” Koning said.
Ondela Sokomani, a local ANC leader, said the Enyobeni tavern had long been a source of unhappiness in the community. “They flagrantly abused our children by selling them alcohol and even luring them onto the premises with promises of free drinks.”
Funerals for the victims will be held on Wednesday. “There will be 21 coffins too many,” Sokomani said. “Our tears will be heavy for our kids. Tears and a burial that should and could have easily been prevented.”
After the demonstration at the tavern on Friday, one of those who attended said once the funerals were over, the country’s attention would move on.
Lirandzu Themba, spokesperson for police minister Bheki Cele, referred Sunday Times to the police. “Investigations are ongoing and the ministry is waiting for the outcome of those investigations.”
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brig Thembinkosi Kinana said: “The results of the forensic investigation, including the toxicology reports, are awaited. There are no new developments at this stage. No arrests have been made.”
Pressed on the claims that Enyobeni Tavern was known for selling alcohol to minors and contravening liquor board regulations, he denied they had “any information suggesting this”.
“We encourage people to come forward with information so that the necessary steps can be taken.”
After Friday’s march ended, an 18-year old Scenery Park resident asked a Sunday Times reporter for a lift into town.
“Next week, after we have buried our friends you will all be gone and we will be nothing again. We must die for media and politicians to come to Scenery Park,” he said as the car drove past massive roadworks that started a few days ago at the township’s entrance.
“Even this broken road is now fixed. Was this only done so that ministers and other leaders could ride in comfort to come and see us or so they can leave in comfort?”
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