The families of the 21 teenagers who died at Enyobeni Tavern remain devastated after the final report presented to them said their children died due to suffocation.
The families met with representatives from the Eastern Cape Department of Health, and social workers were also present to give them counselling after the cause of death for their children was revealed.
However, families said the report left them more confused, devastated and with more questions than answers. One of the parents, Xolile Malangeni, left immediately after he was informed about the death of his daughter Esinako, and said he was dissatisfied with what he was told.
Malangeni said: “The report came out but I’m not happy about it because officials are telling us that our children died of suffocation. I left to go to work after hearing that because those officials are just fooling us.”
Another parent, Nomawethu Mboyiya, mother to deceased Sandanathi Mahlakahlaka, broke into tears as she talked about what she’s been told. She said: “I was here to get the cause of the death of my child, and the doctor told me that she died because they crashed against each other. I told the doctor that I’m not happy with what I’ve been told because they have wasted our time, we have been here all day long.”
Another parent, Ntombizonke Mgangala, said: “We don’t understand what is going on because this crashing thing was ruled out as the cause of death of our children, but then today, two months later, they are blaming it. Previously we were told of methanol, but now they are saying it is not what caused the death of our children.”
The parents said although they were all invited to the presentation, they were called in one after the other, with officials claiming that the report would be different for each child. However, after talking to one another, they discovered that they were told the same thing.
Mboyiya said: “They told us that our children didn’t die from the same cause, but when we spoke as parents after having been addressed privately, we realised that we were actually being told the same thing.”
To make it more devastating, the Eastern Cape Department of Health said it has been legally advised not to release the actual report to the parents, and that those who want access to the full report must go to court.
Mgangala said: “What is so painful about this whole thing is that we as the parents don’t have rights. They promised to give us a written report but today they are telling us that we are not allowed to have it, we must apply to the court in order to get the full report.”
The Eastern Cape Health Department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said the document is confidential and will be handed over to the South African Police Services as it forms part of their investigation.
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