,OVM3701 Assignment 3 Semester 1 Memo | Due 9
May 2025.
All questions fully answered. Case study: Enyobeni Tavern
disaster During a celebration of hlanjwa iphepha (‘pens down’),
a tradition in South Africa that celebrates the end-of-school
exams, 21 people were killed and four people were injured in
the Enyobeni Tavern in East London on 26 June 2022
(Wikipedia, 2022). Initial reports suggested a crowd crush, but
this was not confirmed by the investigating authorities. The
owner of the bar, Siyakhangela Ndevu, who was not present
when the deaths occurred, stated that he had received calls
from security at around 01:00, informing him of people
attempting to force their way through a gate outside the tavern
(Daily Maverick, 2022). Promise Matinise, the entertainment
manager of the tavern, admitted they lacked the manpower to
deal with overcrowding, explaining that some patrons tried to
force their way in. Matinise witnessed people falling down, as
bouncers failed to control the large crowd, and stated that he
contacted the owner upon discovering that some people were
dead (Wikipedia, 2022). A patron stated that, at one stage, a
security guard closed the doors and sprayed a chemical into the
crowd. The patron added they were unable to breathe, with
some suffocating and many kept pushing one another to get out
of the tavern, but it was no use people were dying. At 04:00 am,
a witness placed a call reporting multiple deaths at the tavern.
, Seventeen victims – the youngest aged 13 – were found on the
dance floor and in chairs, on couches and at tables, with no
obvious signs of injury. In the immediate aftermath of the
incident, an investigation was opened into the probable causes
of the deaths. Samples from the bodies of the victims were
taken to toxicology laboratories in Cape Town for analysis. The
South African Police Service released a statement regarding the
incident, stating that they would be deploying maximum
resources” to the investigation, and that the public should not
speculate on the causes of the deaths (BBC, 2022). A provincial
safety officer said that since there were “no visible wounds”,
the cause of death was likely not a stampede. A spokesperson
for the Eastern Cape Department of Community Safety stated
that they had ruled out a stampede entirely, and that the most
likely cause of death was poison-related, pointing to CCTV
footage showing hookah pipes at the tavern. Eastern Cape MEC
for Safety, Weziwe Tikana, ruled out a stampede because “there
were three young people who were coming to speak to MEC
and her colleagues when they got to the scene, and they
fainted along the way”. One of them has since died while en-
route to hospital. An Eastern Cape police spokesperson said the
cause of death was either something ingested or inhaled. On 29
June, news reports said investigators suspected carbon
monoxide poisoning from a petrol generator operating in the
tavern after a power outage in the area. While autopsies had
May 2025.
All questions fully answered. Case study: Enyobeni Tavern
disaster During a celebration of hlanjwa iphepha (‘pens down’),
a tradition in South Africa that celebrates the end-of-school
exams, 21 people were killed and four people were injured in
the Enyobeni Tavern in East London on 26 June 2022
(Wikipedia, 2022). Initial reports suggested a crowd crush, but
this was not confirmed by the investigating authorities. The
owner of the bar, Siyakhangela Ndevu, who was not present
when the deaths occurred, stated that he had received calls
from security at around 01:00, informing him of people
attempting to force their way through a gate outside the tavern
(Daily Maverick, 2022). Promise Matinise, the entertainment
manager of the tavern, admitted they lacked the manpower to
deal with overcrowding, explaining that some patrons tried to
force their way in. Matinise witnessed people falling down, as
bouncers failed to control the large crowd, and stated that he
contacted the owner upon discovering that some people were
dead (Wikipedia, 2022). A patron stated that, at one stage, a
security guard closed the doors and sprayed a chemical into the
crowd. The patron added they were unable to breathe, with
some suffocating and many kept pushing one another to get out
of the tavern, but it was no use people were dying. At 04:00 am,
a witness placed a call reporting multiple deaths at the tavern.
, Seventeen victims – the youngest aged 13 – were found on the
dance floor and in chairs, on couches and at tables, with no
obvious signs of injury. In the immediate aftermath of the
incident, an investigation was opened into the probable causes
of the deaths. Samples from the bodies of the victims were
taken to toxicology laboratories in Cape Town for analysis. The
South African Police Service released a statement regarding the
incident, stating that they would be deploying maximum
resources” to the investigation, and that the public should not
speculate on the causes of the deaths (BBC, 2022). A provincial
safety officer said that since there were “no visible wounds”,
the cause of death was likely not a stampede. A spokesperson
for the Eastern Cape Department of Community Safety stated
that they had ruled out a stampede entirely, and that the most
likely cause of death was poison-related, pointing to CCTV
footage showing hookah pipes at the tavern. Eastern Cape MEC
for Safety, Weziwe Tikana, ruled out a stampede because “there
were three young people who were coming to speak to MEC
and her colleagues when they got to the scene, and they
fainted along the way”. One of them has since died while en-
route to hospital. An Eastern Cape police spokesperson said the
cause of death was either something ingested or inhaled. On 29
June, news reports said investigators suspected carbon
monoxide poisoning from a petrol generator operating in the
tavern after a power outage in the area. While autopsies had
