Ekeomah Atuonwu
On Wednesday, South Africa 🇿🇦 bade goodbye to the 21 people, most of whom were teenagers, who died inexplicably at a township bar last month in a shocking tragedy.
More than a thousand people, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and many elected officials, attended the service held in the township of Scenery Park, near East London.
“We call on alcohol producers, alcohol distributors, to desist from advertising their products to young children. South Africa has one of the highest rates of problem-drinkers in the world,” says President Cyril.
President Cyril Ramaphosa
AEM had reported that the children perished during what the survivors described as a struggle to leave the crowded location; one said there was an oppressive odor.
According to the birthdates indicated on the official program for the memorial issued on Wednesday, the youngest was just 14 years old and the oldest was 20.
Police Minister Bheki Cele had previously said the youngest was 13 and the oldest 17. The fatalities bore no visible signs of injury and officials have ruled out a stampede as the cause of the deaths.
Drinking in South Africa is permitted for over-18s. But in township taverns, which are often located close to family homes, safety regulations and drinking-age laws are not always enforced.
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[WATCH] "We call on alcohol producers, alcohol distributors, to desist from advertising their products to young children. South Africa has one of the highest rates of problem-drinkers in the world," says President Cyril Ramaphosa. #Newzroom405 #SceneryPark #EnyobeniTarven pic.twitter.com/3gAOpxppsH
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 6, 2022
