Family members of the 21 youngsters who recently died at Enyobeni tavern have started to at the Scenery Park Sports Grounds for the mass funeral.
While President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to attend the funeral, top politicians and government officials have also arrived.
Police minister Bheki Cele said he was here to mourn the tragic loss of the affected families and would not be drawn into divulging details about the investigation into the death of the children.
“This morning I got a report from the police, however, it will be dealt with when other reports have been finalised. The less said the better. I saw the programme for today and it looks like a medical expert will be speaking.
Police minister Bheki Cele arrives at the mass funeral for the 21 children killed in the Enyonbeni Tavern tragedy in Scenery Park, East London. pic.twitter.com/goWmdIOMJk
— Dispatch AFRICA (@africa_dispatch) July 6, 2022
“Today I came to mourn and bury the kids. A lot needs to be done by all levels of government and the community in terms of our society and how things are done to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again. We will put extra effort to work toward a better future for our kids. You all our know my stance on this whole matter but we are not here for that now. We are here to mourn and hold hands together during this difficult time,” he said.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane, BCM deputy mayor Princess Faku, NEC members Aaron Motsoaledi and Zizi Kodwa and ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukaitobi are among those who have arrived at the mass funeral venue.
Speaking to the Dispatch, Faku said the city would go back to the drawing board to review and tighten their bylaws to ensure such a tragedy did not happen again.
“Today is a very sad day for the country, and especially the BCM. We have a partnership with the liquor board and the social development department to do raids on a quarterly basis to ensure our kids are safe.”
DispatchLIVE
Preparations under underway to start the mass funeral for 21 East London children killed in the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy.
Image: SITHANDIWE VELAPHI