A 19-year-old South African, Sinenjongo Phuthumani, has vowed never to visit nightclubs again after witnessing the tragic deaths of her friends and other partygoers at the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, East London. The weekend tragedy claimed 21 young lives, sparking national grief and calls for answers.
“I have taken a decision never to go clubbing again,” Phuthumani said as she joined other mourners at the site of the disaster. “I’m still traumatised. I was very close to being among the dead. Everything I had promised myself in the future almost faded.”
All the victims were teenagers, the youngest a 13-year-old girl. Forensic teams continued their investigations on Thursday, trying to uncover the cause of the mysterious deaths. Authorities suspect the youths may have consumed something toxic, but a source close to the probe said the deaths were most likely due to chemical asphyxia caused by a gas leak in the tavern’s poorly ventilated ground floor.
“The place was too crowded, and you couldn’t get out. I felt like crying,” said Phuthumani, who lives in another township about 15 kilometres away.
In the chaos and panic, she did not realise that one of her best friends, Sinothando Mgangalwa, was among the victims. “It’s been really painful,” she said.
Another survivor, 16-year-old Ovayo Mkonqo, recounted feeling dizzy before collapsing revellers surrounded her. She also lost a friend in the tragedy. “It will take a while for me to recover from this,” she said. “All of our friends decided never to go to places of night entertainment again.”
Townships like Scenery Park remain a legacy of South Africa’s apartheid past, where Black South Africans were confined to poor, overcrowded areas far from economic opportunities. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s youth are unemployed, and taverns often serve as one of the few outlets for recreation.
“People drink a lot,” said Phuthumani, who now volunteers with a youth-focused charity educating teenagers about the dangers of dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. “It’s a sad environment.”
The investigation into the Enyobeni Tavern disaster is still ongoing as families and communities continue to mourn the young lives lost.
