Law enforcement agencies in the Eastern Cape have ramped up policing efforts to avoid, as much as possible, future tavern tragedies.
How much tavern owners must pay if found hosting underage drinkers
The first of many police visibility operations targeted at crime hotspot areas and township regions with a high concentration of informal drinking establishments took place in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro this past weekend.
This response, police minister Colonel Priscilla Naidu said in a statement, was in line with assurances made by Police Minister Bheki Cele in the wake of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy.
During the weekend of Friday, 15 July 2022, Eastern Cape police made 83 arrests “for crimes ranging from murder, attempted murder illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, [and] possession of drugs.”
Of that tally, a number of tavern owners were charged with contravening the Liquor Act which, among many rules, prohibits the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18.
The high visibility operations were led by Major General Vuyisile Ncata, Nelson Mandela Bay’s district commissioner, who saw, first-hand, the rampant underage drinking that goes on at local taverns.
The weight of the responsibility, Ncata warned, lies with owners who know not to welcome underage partygoers inside taverns.
“We will clamp down hard and fast on tavern owners who allow under aged drinking and admission of minors,” the major-general warned.
If tavern owners are caught selling alcohol to or hosting underage partygoers, Ncata explained, they will be fined R2 500 and reported to the Liquor Board in a bid to have their licences revoked.
What’s the latest with the Enyobeni Tavern owner’s arrest?
In the case of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, the owner of the popular Scenery Park hangout spot, Siyakhangela Ndevu and two of his employees, were arrested for contravening the Liquor Act, per Drum.
A total of 21 underage partygoers died under mysterious circumstances in the wee hours of Sunday, 26 June 2022.
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, Ndevu has, at this time, not been deemed as culpable for the deaths of the teenagers aged between 13 and 17, albeit, he had flouted liquor laws by selling alcohol to children that fateful evening.
Ndevu has since been released and is expected to return to court on 19 August 2022 to enter his plea in the liquor case.
His two employees were fined R2 000 each and this must be paid before Ndevu’s court date.
“SAPS management has reaffirmed its commitment in ensuring that all the investigations around the Scenery Park tragic incident are conducted in more professional and well-organized manner for a successful prosecution and subsequent conviction in the court of law,” Kinana said.