Enyobeni Tavern: Owners found guilty, sentencing scheduled for Friday

Enyobeni Tavern’stavern’s owner, Vuyokazi Ndevu, and her operational manager husband, Siyakhangela Ndevu, will be sentenced on Friday after they were found guilty of selling alcohol to persons under the age of 18 years in the East London regional court on Wednesday.

The couple was charged in August 2022 after 21 youngsters died under mysterious circumstances in their tavern in Scenery Park, Eastern Cape, in June 2022. They pleaded not guilty and took the witness stand in their defence, arguing that they complied with all regulations during the tragic incident.

STATE’S CASE PROVEN BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT

The news sent a shock wave across the country early because the cause of the deaths was still unclear. Social media photographs of lifeless bodies lying on the floor were also circulated during the frenzy, causing panic amongst parents all over Buffalo City.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Luxolo Tyali said: “The court found that the state had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt that the couple were responsible for the sale of alcohol to under-aged children. 

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STATE’S KEY WITNESSES: TWO ENYOBENI CASHIERS WHO WERE ON DUTY THAT NIGHT

“It also held them vicariously liable for the crime, notwithstanding that one of them was not present while the other denied actively selling liquor on the fateful night of 25-26 June 2022, when 21 young people died in their establishment,” he said. 

Tyali said the prosecutor led evidence from nine witnesses, including two minors who survived the tragic incident, to secure the conviction. The state’s key witnesses that sealed the victory were Sivuyile Gqamlana and Xoliswa Duma, who worked as cashiers at the tavern on that fateful night. They admitted to selling liquor to children under the age of 21 and paid a fine of R2000. 

NO AGE RESTRICTION CONSIDERED FOR ACCESS AT ENYOBENI TAVERN

“The court agreed with the prosecution submission there was no age restriction considered for access at Enyobeni, whatsoever, and the owners failed to take reasonable steps to ensure age restriction admission, in contravention of the Eastern Cape Liquor Act,” said Tyali. 

The matter was postponed to Friday, 23 February, for arguments in aggravation and mitigation of sentence. Meanwhile, the formal inquest into the deaths of 21 young people at the Enyobeni Tavern is still to commence at the Mdantsane Regional Court. 

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