The tragedy at the Enyobeni Tavern in the poor Scenery Park borough of the East London seaside town on June 26 sent shock and sadness to a nation used to seeing casualties from a widespread culture of heavy drinking. The announcement on Tuesday that methanol had been found came amid growing anger over authorities’ failure to determine the cause of death. “Methanol has been detected in all 21 people who were there, however there is still ongoing analysis of the quantitative levels of methanol and whether it could have been the final cause of death,” said Dr Litha Matiwane, deputy director of the Eastern Cape province. . clinical service, he told a news conference in East London. Methanol is a toxic form of alcohol used industrially as a solvent, pesticide or alternative fuel source. It is not used in the production of alcohol sold for human consumption. “The first way it enters the body is to swallow it. But it’s a byproduct of other chemicals, so it could have been something else. Hence, we say we are investigating,” Matiwane said. Alcohol poisoning and carbon monoxide inhalation have been ruled out as possible causes of death, although traces of both were found on the bodies of all 21 victims. Many of the teenagers were found dead in the tavern, their bodies strewn on tables and couches, while others died after being rushed to nearby health facilities. A regional newspaper, DispatchLive, said shortly after the tragedy that its reporters saw bodies “lying strangely, as if they had fallen to the floor suddenly while dancing or in the middle of a conversation, some apparently in the social circles with which they were engaged. ” and other bodies “swept on chairs and lying on tables”. Unverified photos shared on social media showed bodies with no visible signs of injury lying on the floor of the club. South African police will be guided by the final results of the toxicology analysis to determine whether anyone will face criminal charges in the 21 deaths, the country’s police minister, Becky Sele, said. Cele has described the victims who collapsed from about 2am on June 26. “They died while dancing. They danced and fell and died, literally. And they pushed them aside and others kept dancing. Others felt dizzy and fell asleep on the couch and died,” the minister said shortly after the incident. The 52-year-old owner of the Enyobeni Tavern and a number of employees are currently out on bail as they face charges related to breaching liquor laws, including selling alcohol to children. Angry mourners of some of the victims have complained that weeks of calls for the tavern to close have gone unheeded. The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, addressed a mass funeral for the teenagers and promised his government would take action to prevent alcohol being served to under-18 drinkers. Many venues in urban and rural South Africa often defy licensing laws. Overstretched police forces and local government officials often turn a blind eye to such violations of the law, sometimes in exchange for bribes. Police are searching for suspected gang members who killed 15 people at a tavern near Johannesburg, the country’s commercial capital, using a handgun and 9mm pistols earlier this month. The attack in Soweto’s Nomzamo township came amid a wave of armed violence. At least seven people were killed in similar attacks in other parts of South Africa over the weekend. Campaigners have called for a crackdown on increasingly powerful organized criminals who are armed with military-grade weapons. Others have called for more intensive policing of pubs and bars.
