Pretoria - A legal team has been established, composed of crime and civil litigation experts led by Lawyers for Human Rights and an Eastern Cape law firm, to assist the families and survivors of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy.
South Africa was left grieving when 21 teenagers died in the tragic incident in June.
The legal team will, in conjunction with the families and other stakeholders, decide whether to initiate litigation to ensure that justice is done, said Professor Lulama Ntshingwa of the SA Council of Churches in the Eastern Cape.
The legal team is working with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in SA on preparations for leading evidence on behalf of the families.
The families and survivors have also been given trauma counselling over the past three months and supported by the Church Unity Commission led by Bishop Paul Verryn.
The Eastern Cape chapter of the SA Council of Churches has meanwhile been offering ongoing support to the families and survivors of the tragedy, according to Ntshingwa.
It is said that the families do not accept the results given as the cause of death, delivered to them by the Department of Health in September. The toxicology report stated that the victims died of suffocation due to overcrowding.
The youngsters were found strewn across the floor of the tavern. Their families are, however, questioning the credibility of the report.
They also say they are unhappy with the quality of counselling given by the social workers deployed by the provincial department of social development and said it had not been sufficient.
“The conflicting statements around the cause of death of the 21 children makes the families very suspicious. They and the survivors of the tavern incident are also disappointed in what they see as a diminishing interest and concern from many interest groups, including some in the religious fraternity and in government structures.
“They feel abandoned in their quest to find answers and closure following this very heart-breaking incident,” Ntshingwa said.
She said following a formal request from families for intervention, the SA Council of Churches produced a long-term national psycho-social support plan, shared with the provincial department of social development on their behalf.
Several international, national, and local bodies have since been engaging with the families, through their representatives and the SA Council of Churches, to establish whether they were getting the necessary support towards achieving justice for those affected and holding those responsible accountable for the tragedy.
“The Scenery Park 21 families and the more than 50 known survivors are not alone in their fight to find justice. They are receiving support from all over,” Ntshingwa said.
A march to the High Court in East London is planned for November 25, when the court case against the tavern owners resumes.
An online and hard copy petition to collect the signatures of all of those who want to be part of the call for justice for the Scenery Park 21 families and the survivors, is also being launched.
Ntshingwa called on everyone to exercise sensitivity and objectivity in telling the true story of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy to the world and to do so in a manner that did not prejudice the families.
Pretoria News