According to Police Minister Bheki Cele, the 13-year-old victim was among the at least 21 people who died in a bar over the weekend.
The authorities are looking into the fatalities’ cause, which was not immediately apparent.
In the East London neighborhood’s Enyobeni Tavern, the victims were discovered strewn across the floors and tables. Post-mortem examinations will be performed at the mortuaries where the remains were taken.
The casualties, according to Mr.Cele, who had visited the scene and been informed by the local police, were between the ages of 13 and 17. However, a complete list of the victims has not yet been produced.
In South Africa, the age of majority for drinking is 18. There are rumours that many who visited the tavern did so to celebrate the conclusion of the school year’s exams.
Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, offered the relatives of the victims his “deepest sympathies.”
In a tweet, he stated that the fact that this tragedy occurred during Young Month, when we “promote and advance possibilities for improving socio-economic conditions for the youth of our nation,” made it all the more tragic.
The East Cape Province’s Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, denounced the “unlimited consumption of alcohol” but did not offer any explanations for the deaths. “You can’t just trade in the middle of society like this and believe that young people are not going to experiment,” he added when speaking about the scene. Early on Sunday morning, the incident took place. As there were “no apparent wounds,” a regional safety officer told AFP that a stampede had been ruled out as the cause of death. Unathi Binqose stated that forensic experts “will gather samples and test to determine whether there was any poisoning of any sort.”
