Throb lessons not learnt

Illegal taverns are a curse to community: activist

PARENTS of the children who died at the Throb nightclub in Chatsworth 22 years ago, are reliving the pain following the death of 21 teenagers at a tavern in the Eastern Cape.

There are some similarities between the two incidents – both occurred at a nightclub at the end of a school term; both involved children as young as 12 and 13; and both involved communities with few recreational facilities for children.

On March 24, 2000, about 600 children were celebrating the end of the school term at the Throb nightclub in Chatsworth.

Pandemonium broke out when a tear-gas canister was detonated. It resulted in a stampede as the children tried to get out of the club. Thirteen died and about 100 were injured.

Over the past weekend, children aged between 13 and 19 went to the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park, East London, apparently to celebrate the end of the June examinations and the start of their holidays.

Exactly what happened is not known, but 21 teenagers died – 12 boys and nine girls.

According to Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, an Eastern Cape provincial police spokesperson, the police were still trying to figure out what had happened.

Bheki Cele, the police minister, and General Fannie Masemola, the national commissioner of the SAPS, visited the scene on Sunday. They said preliminary reports indicate the children died between about 02.13 until about 04.30.

“They die(d) as they danced. They dance, fall, and die – literally. Others would just feel dizzy, sleep on the sofa, (and) die. It tells you the story that they were all kids, because somebody should have taken note.

“So, what they would do, as you fall, they would put you aside and dance – which tells you that these were kids who were supposed to be under their parents’ supervision,” Cele was quoted as saying to an online news site.

For Lazarus Soobramoney, news of the tragedy brought back memories of what happened at Throb. He lost his 15-year-old son Rory, a Grade 10 pupil at Westcliff Secondary School, that day.

“To hear that so many children have passed in the Eastern Cape is a horrible and painful feeling. It never should have happened,” said Soobramoney, a retired principal from Chatsworth.

“Every time I hear about a mass group of children being killed anywhere in the world, the pain of having lost my own son deepens. Even TV programmes about these incidents affect me. I change the channel because my mind goes back and the pain is awful. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the children. I pray for God’s comfort over them.”

Lucy Govender lost her son Sumeshan, 12, a Grade 8 pupil at New Forest High School at Throb. He was one of the youngest victims.

“What happened at the weekend takes me back 22 years. What is more upsetting is that the lessons from Throb were not learnt. At that time, it was 13 children, now it is 21 children. In the future, God forbid, it could be more.

“The authorities have no control over these places, which are not even supposed to allow children on the premises. Taverns, shebeens and nightclubs are not for children.

“At the time of our children’s deaths, there were talks by authorities to have safer places opened for the youth to have fun, because children will look for places to enjoy themselves, but nothing has happened.

“It is also up to the people who run these places to ban children. They are failing the children and should be held accountable.”

Orlean Naidoo, a community activist in Chatsworth, said: “While alcohol abuse among the youth is not a major concern in comparison to drug abuse, taverns, which operate illegally, are a problem in society. Law enforcement needs to close those that operate illegally and don’t abide by the rules and regulations.”

Sham Maharaj, the convenor of the Phoenix uBuntu Forum, said the mushrooming of taverns in communities was a concern. He said the problem stemmed from the fact that licenses were easily granted.

“Nowadays, you will find anybody that applies is being granted a licence to operate a tavern. If you walk through Phoenix, you will be shocked to find a tavern, licensed or unlicensed, operating on almost every street.

“We are happy if a tavern is licensed and following the rules, such as not allowing under 18s. But some taverns are unlicensed or do not follow the rules which stipulate, for example, that they cannot operate in a residential area or near a school.

“Illegal taverns and shebeens are a curse to our community. If we don’t get a grip on the mushrooming of these illegal taverns and shebeens, then what happened in Eastern Cape will become a common occurrence in the country.”

Back in 2004, Judge Thumba Pillay, sitting in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, warned of the dangers that taverns posed while sentencing three men for the rape and murder of a 75-year-old woman. They were also sentenced for housebreaking, robbery and theft.

He said it was an attack apparently planned in a tavern.

During the sentencing, Judge Pillay said: “Profits seem to be the overriding motive in the operation of these taverns, and no restrictions seem to be enforced relating to age, opening and closing times, and excessive drinking.”

At that stage, Pillay had instructed that his judgment be forwarded to Cele, who was then the KZN provincial minister of safety and security.

In response, Cele adopted a multidisciplinary team made up of various enforcement agencies as well as the Department of Social Welfare and Population Department.

“These partnerships will help foster co-operative action that will let us share information about the proliferation of shebeens,” Cele had said.

This week, Judge Pillay, who is now retired, told POST that it seemed as though nothing substantial had been done since his judgment.

“And then you find these kinds of things happening, where so many children have died. Young children frequenting taverns and shebeens is a common occurrence.

“During my entire stint on the bench, I came across many cases in which young people were visiting shebeens and taverns and there was no control whatsoever. Crimes were hatched in these places, and as the people walk home in a drunken state, they commit crimes along the way.

“I am surprised that no control has been exercised, especially so that no children visit these taverns or shebeens. It is imperative that police keep a wary eye on the people that operate these taverns, and that they are following the law.”

Ashwin Trikamjee, the president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, conveyed condolences to the families who lost loved ones.

“Twenty-one minors died. This is reminiscent of the Throb nightclub stampede that resulted in the deaths of 13 children at an end-of-school-term event.

‘We add our voice to the public outrage that schoolchildren were allowed to enter a tavern. There is an urgent need to reset our moral and ethical compass. This is a wake-up call to all South Africans, and the faith sector should lead (the way),” he said.