The Death of 21 South African Teenagers

In East London, South Africa, the deaths of 21 teens are now being investigated as a tragedy that happened at the Ebyobeni Tavern nightclub. The party was uploaded to Facebook, advertising young teens to come and enjoy free alcohol and wifi. Most of these teens have been confirmed to be under the age of 18 and as young as 13.

President Cyril Ramaphosa states: “Blame must be laid at the feet of those who are making money off the dreams and lives of the young people of South Africa by breaking the law and selling them alcohol.”

The president then continued to say they should move the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 years old. It is more than clear the president is oblivious to the real crime that occurred that night. No matter the age of the people who entered the Tavern that night, the outcome would have been the same. Underage drinking was not the target crime that night. Survivors of that night recounted a mysterious gas after the Tavern went dark for several minutes, and when the lights turned back on, panic seemed to set in for those who were still alive.

One survivor, Simbongile Mtsweni, states: “I was on the second floor and started vomiting when I realized I was lying next to dead people.”

Officials say they do not know the cause of the mysterious mass death but are giving out all the information they can about what happened. Speculation is all the parents have left of their teens that went to the Tavern that night. Questions linger as to who released the gas and whether it was the cause of the deaths of these young teens.