As the Enyobeni tragedy inquest draws to a close, families of victims say they are optimistic that some people will be held accountable for the deaths of their children.

The inquest into the death of 21 underage patrons at Enyobeni tavern at Scenery Park outside East London in the Eastern Cape, has called the last witness.

The inquest aims to establish if there is any person who can be criminally responsible for the death of 21 teenagers who died back in June 2022.

The inquest commenced in 2023 and heard testimony from close to 30 witnesses.

Survivors of the tragedy, the SAPS, the Eastern Cape Liquor Board, and medical experts were among those who appeared.

The court also reviewed video footage from the night in question as evidence.

Dr Sithandiwe Kunyuza, a forensic expert who was among the doctors who conducted the post-mortems of the deceased, who declined to be filmed, testified that asphyxia was the cause of death in all 21 patrons.

“The cause of death here is crush asphyxia due to crowd crush. This injury tells us that this particular deceased was pressed against a rough surface at some time. During that period, I see blood coming from the nostril. Also, there is a blood stain on the corner of the mouth, which seems to be there is a laceration underneath. It is consistent with asphixial death, your worship,” she testified.

The parents of the deceased have been closely monitoring the case, hoping to get answers on who should be held responsible for their children’s deaths.

They are confident that the findings of the inquest will help them find closure.

“This is the moment that we have been looking for all the time, since today it was the last witness to give evidence. We are quite sure that the magistrate will be able to see who is accountable for the matter because it’s what we want to know,” says one of the parents, Ntombizonke Mgangala.

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The inquest has been adjourned to the 27th of October for closing arguments.