Wife of Enyobeni tavern boss appears in the dock with husband

The wife of the boss of Enyobeni Tavern in East London, where 21 youngsters tragically died in June, has been charged for allegedly contravening the Liquor Act.

Vuyokazi Ndevu on Friday made a brief appearance in the East London Magistrates’ Court along with her husband and manager of the establishment, Siyakwamkela Ndevu.

The 43-year-old was charged after the Eastern Cape Liquor Board laid a criminal complaint against her because she is the registered licencee of the tavern in Scenery Park.

She faces similar charges to her husband for allegedly selling or supplying intoxicating liquor to minors and for conniving with and permitting their employees to sell or supply or deliver intoxicating liquor to underage persons.

Enyobeni tavern tragedy

On 26 June 2022, the deaths of 21 teenagers, nine girls and 12 boys, the Ndevu’s establishment made headlines throughout the world after they died under mysterious circumstances during a party that allegedly offered free rounds of alcohol.

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After two months of investigations, the Eastern Cape Health Department on Thursday revealed that the youngsters were either crushed or suffocated to death due to overcrowding inside the tavern, according to a final toxicology report.

Some of the parents of the youngsters have rejected the findings of the report and threatened legal action against authorities in order to get answers on the deaths of their children.

State’s case 

The state alleges that the couple connived with their employees – Xoliswa Duma and Sivuyile Ngamlana – to wrongfully and unlawfully sell and offer for sale intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18.

Ndevu’s husband was served with the summons by the police in July to appear in court on 19 August, and Duma and Ngamlana were given an option to pay a fine of R2 000 each.

NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said another leg of their case, which related to the release of the toxicology report, was still under investigation by police.

Tyali said they would wait for the docket from the police before deciding on possible further charges against the Ndevus.

“The NPA will monitor this case closely and engage with the police to ensure that the matter proceeds swiftly and effectively,” he said in a statement.

The couple’s case was postponed to 5 October 2022, for a pre-trial hearing.

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