Enyobeni tavern tragedy: Musician relives night that 21 teenagers died

A musician who performed at Enyobeni tavern relived the events that took place on the night when 21 teenagers tragically died while partying on Saturday.

Brian Mapasa said that the event wasn’t initially a “pens down, mask off” gathering but a birthday party.

However, pupils hosted a “pens down” celebration at a park in Amalinda and later made their way to Enyobeni tavern.

He said he was booked to perform and had been promoting the event for months.

“I think they came to Enyobeni because they know it’s the last place in the area to close,” the musician told eNCA on Tuesday.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Inside Eastern Cape tavern before tragedy struck

Reliving the tragic night

According to Mapasa, the place was overcrowded by the time he arrived for his performance.

He described how chaotic it was on both ends of the entrance as those who were inside tried to go out and teenagers who were not allowed entry tried to force their way in.

“By the entrance section, it was packed and people wanted to go outside and others tried to force their way inside the event.”

“People from other sections started running, apparently something was being sprayed. So they needed to get out and get some air.”

He said he was trapped between the two crowds – those who wanted to go outside and others forcing their way in.

‘Trapped inside’

After 15 to 20 minutes of the security trying to control the situation, someone allegedly closed the door.

“I don’t know if they wanted to control the crowd inside or what,” Mapasa added.

He said that made it hard for those inside to breathe as there were no windows in that particular section he was trapped in.

“Air gets in through the entrance door, so when they closed it, that’s when people started collapsing, some fell down and people stepped on them,” he said.

Music was still playing and no one came to attend to the situation. He said everyone started feeling dizzy and some collapsed.

Though the cause of the 21 teenagers’ death is still unknown, Mapasa said that later on someone started spraying “pepper spray or teargas”.

He said one of the revellers on the other side of the room opened a window and others managed to exit through it. Others proceeded to open the door from the outside and started dragging people out.

NOW READ:  Enyobeni Tavern: Saps investigating liquor legislation compliance