Siyakwamkela Ndevu (52) the owner of Enyobeni tavern, where 21 children were found dead back in June, will return to the East London Magistrate’s Court on Friday next week.
September 2 will mark the beginning of the trial. Ndevu faces charges such as, selling alcohol to persons under the age of 18, allowing employees to sell alcohol to persons under the age of 18, and dealing with the sale of alcohol found by a Cape Town lab to be dangerous.
Ndevu made his first court appearance last week Friday.
The victims who died, who were children from different schools in East London, were celebrating the completion of their mid-term exams in this tavern.
According to a statement from the Spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority in Eastern Cape, Luxolo Tyali, says that Ndevu allowed Xoliswa Duma and Sivuyile Ngamlana to sell this alcohol, including to underage children.
The testing of the alcohol that the children drank in Enyobeni, including their clothes, is at the lab in Cape Town, where testing is still being conducted. Last month, the results came back, although it was said that they are not yet complete because the test has not been concluded, they came back positive for methanol.
The parents of the children, talking to I’solezwe lesiXhosa, revealed that they are not satisfied with the results, and they still want tangible and sound results. This makes the parents of the victims not at peace. The parents say that they acknowledge this case but what they still want is the cause of their children’s death.
Ndevu was served papers by the police last month, the papers summoned him to appear at the East London Magistrate Court as well as his two employees.
The employees were given an alternative to pay a fine of R2000 per person if they could not pay it, to appear in court as well.
Enyobeni was closed by the authorities, it is no longer in business.
Ndevu is out on bail awaiting his second court appearance where the trial is set to begin.
ABafana Bafana bayingombe yanaba iCongo Brazzaville, eGqeberha!