By: Natasha Archary
President Cyril Ramaphosa has stressed the need to have a conversation about underage drinking in the country.
This follows the deaths of 21 teenagers at the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, East London, a week ago.
The Enyobeni Tavern tragedy has according to the President, brought up the need to talk about the serious problem of young people clutching bottles of alcohol.
In a statement by Presidency, Ramaphosa said, we must come together to combat this vice that is robbing our young people of the best years of their lives, and making them susceptible to alcohol addiction.
“Footage and images posted online of the so-called ‘pens down’ party at the venue that night show revelling youngsters clutching bottles of alcohol. Many of those in the images look barely out of their teens.
A number of young people from Scenery Park have told the media of having seen a post circulated on social media, offering free rounds of alcohol to all who attended the event that night.”
President Ramaphosa says there’s a need to have a discussion on underage drinking in the country
The Enyobeni Tavern tragedy isn’t an isolated incident in the country and the President detailed other tragic events that claimed the lives of youngsters.
“A common denominator between Enyobeni tavern, the Throb nightclub disaster in Durban in 2000, and the Osi’s tavern tragedy in Khayelitsha in 2015, is that these establishments were selling liquor to minors.
The proliferation of establishments openly flouting the law points to failings on the part of authorities to enforce regulations.
Under the National Liquor Act, owners of establishments with liquor licenses may not sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 18. They must also take reasonable steps to ensure anyone they are selling alcohol to is of age.
We call on communities to work with authorities to ensure that taverns, shebeens, entertainment venues and outlets breaking the law face the consequences.”
Meanwhile, a mass funeral for the victims of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy will take place on Wednesday, 06 July.
Police are yet to release the cause of death, but there were reports it may have been carbon monoxide poisoning at play.
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