Bheki Cele East London tavern

Bheki Cele bursts into tears outside mortuary
Photo source: Twitter screen grab

WATCH: Bheki Cele bursts into tears over East London tavern deaths

Minister Bheki Cele was outside a mortuary in East London, where the bodies of at least 20 young people who died in a tavern are being kept

Bheki Cele East London tavern

Bheki Cele bursts into tears outside mortuary
Photo source: Twitter screen grab

Police Minister Bheki Cele could hardly hold back the tears after visiting the mortuary keeping the bodies of at least 20 youngsters who were found dead inside a tavern in Scenery Park, East London recently.

The incident is said to have unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning, 26 June 2022. There is still some mystery surrounding the cause of death. An eyewitness whose relative relayed the details to Algoa FM, claimed that pepper spray was deployed. The 15-year-old girl, who was celebrating the end of exams in the Enyobeni nightspot, says ‘chaos broke out’ after this incident, with many left ‘choking and coughing’.

BHEKI CELE LASHES OUT AT PARENTS OVER TAVERN TRAGEDY

In the wake of the tragedy, Bheki Cele rushed to the scene and called out members of the East London community. Cele, who learnt that children as young as 13 were also at the tavern, asked parents how they were able to go to bed at night without knowing where their kids were.

“I stay with my boy who is in university in Cape Town. He came back home after 11pm on Friday night and I sat him down and told him you don’t come home after 11pm,” Cele said.

But even Cele himself couldn’t maintain his tough exterior and eventually burst into teasrs over the tragedy. The moment was captured on television, including broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, which also posted the clip on its social media platforms.

According to community members living in the township where the tavern is situated, the establishment even sells alcohol to minors and doesn’t care about the safety of customers. There have since been growing calls for the tavern’s liquor licence to be revoked.

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