The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Eastern Cape is deeply concerned about the death of 21 young people aged between 13 and 17 years at Enyobeni tavern in Scenery Park, East London on Sunday, 26 June 2022.

COSATU expresses its heartfelt condolences to families who lost their loved ones during the incident.

We sympathise with the families as we understand the devastation and trauma the families are going through.

The horrific incident sent shockwaves internationally.

This incident could have been avoided as the establishment failed to comply with the regulations, including allowing the admission of underage children in violation of operating licence issued by Liquor Board.

This incident calls for the strict monitoring of compliance with Liquor licences by operators of liquor outlets.

This ordeal has turned the spotlight on the abuse of alcohol, particularly by the young people. Security and crowd control mechanisms is another aspect that must be given attention.

COSATU calls for an end to the casual approach to township economy and compliance to relevant prescripts must be adhered to by all stakeholders.

Alcohol abuse is one of the societal challenges that affect young peoples the most.

Collaborative efforts by communities and government must be initiated and strengthened to curb the abuse of alcohol, particularly by youth.

The late Comrade Oliver Tambo Had this to say about the youth, “The children of any nation are its future. A country, a movement, a person that does not value its youth and children does not deserve its future”.

We are calling for thorough investigation of the incident that resulted in this huge loss of young lives. There must be consequences so that such incidents are avoided in the future.

We are comforted by the fact that the Premier of the Eastern Cape is leading government’s response to the tragedy and the Department of Social Development is providing the psycho-social support to the affected families.

Let us draw lessens from this incident to avoid occurrences of this nature in the future.

Issued by COSATU Eastern Cape

For more information contact:
Mkhawuleli Maleki

COSATU Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary

Contact: 082 339 5482

Email: mkhawuleli@cosatu.org.za