Parents of the youngsters who died during the Enyobeni Tavern want access to the final postmortem report. Photo: @GCIS_ECape and @PresidencyZA / Twitter.
Enyobeni Tavern: Parents want access to final postmortem report
The parents of the youngsters who died during the Enyobeni Tavern want access to the final postmortem report.
Parents of the youngsters who died during the Enyobeni Tavern want access to the final postmortem report. Photo: @GCIS_ECape and @PresidencyZA / Twitter.
Parents of the 17 teenagers who lost their lives during the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy are considering legal action to gain access to the final postmortem report.
Parents want access to the full postmortem report
The parents revealed that although officials from the Health Department informed them about the cause of death, they would not allow them access to the postmortem report. The parents wish to have full access to the report and are not happy with the manner in which the case is being handled.
Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Siyanda Manana explained that as government officials, they were constrained. Manana explained that they cannot issue the report to each family as it needs to be handed over to the South African Police Services (SAPS) so that ‘appropriate action’ can be taken.
Department of Health reveals why they have not handed the full report out
“In terms of the Prevention of Personal Information Act that then prevents us from disclosing to other people what is really the cause. It’s safe to say the only people that we did disclose the cause of death was to the parents,”
said Manana.
It’s been just over two months since tragedy struck at the Enyobeni Tavern. An initial autopsy report suggested that chemical poisoning was the cause of death of the 21 youngsters. EWN reports that pre-toxicology examinations found methanol in all 21 bodies.
However, the final report had a different cause of death.
Enyobeni tavern: Parents told final cause of death is suffocation
The parents of the 21 youngsters who tragically died at the Enyobeni Tavern in June are individually briefed about the cause of death – and it seems to be suffocation.
Xolile Malangeni, the father of 17-year-old Esinako Sanarana Malangeni, was the first to be briefed about the cause of death of his daughter.
Speaking to eNCA, he says he was told that his child died of suffocation due to overcrowding.
“They said there were a lot of them and they couldn’t breathe. But I think as a parent, we still have questions because it took three months for them to search for the cause,” Malangeni said. Read the full story here.
