Police Minister Bheki Cele warned of an impending war within South Africa’s law enforcement formation when the time comes to reflect on the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy.
Bheki Cele says no one will escape accountability in Enyobeni Tavern tragedy
The minister made these remarks at the mass funeral held at Scenery Park, East London, in honour of the 21 victims, aged between 13 and 17, who died under mysterious circumstances on the morning of Sunday, 26 June 2022.
Families of the victims laid their children to rest without closure. To this day, more than a week since the tragedy, investigators leading the inquest have not returned with information on what caused the mass deaths.
Cele, who recently came under fire at an anti-crime symposium held in Cape Town earlier this week, admitted that police could have done more at the very start of the investigation.
He revealed that a call came in from national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Sehlahle Fannie Masemola on that fateful Sunday, informing him of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, and when he arrived at Scenery Park later that day, he was refused entry into the nightclub, despite identifying himself as the head of the law enforcement ministry.
“Nobody here is going to survive, from the government, national, provincial, municipality and the police, to liquor licence issuers, shebeen owners, alcohol retailers, we must all account and find solutions to the tragedy before us.
“Somebody, somewhere must answer,” the minister warned.
The minister also revealed that a task team led by homicide detectives and State prosecutors is working on the case, and as things stand, no arrests have been made.
“This investigation is prosecution-driven because when we approach the person responsible [for the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy], we want to make an arrest and make sure they don’t have an escape,” he explained.
Cele, much to the cheers of mourners, further confirmed that an internal probe is underway, led by the civilian secretariat, to determine the police’s response to complaints from residents about the rampant underage drinking that’s been prevalent in Scenery Park for a long time.
The police minister vowed to return to the East London township for an oversight visit to “find and implement programs and activities aimed at bettering the lives of young people in the area and ultimately the province overall.”