By Yolanda Palezweni
A popular Gqeberha tavern was forced to close its doors on Friday after a poster showing socialite Zodwa Wabantu would make an appearance next weekend trended on social media, sparking a surprise inspection by the Eastern Cape Liquor Board.
The board was notified about the event at Emalaydini’s Tavern by ANC MPL Tony Duba, who feared a similar incident such as the Enyobeni tavern tragedy in East London.
The metro police also took part in the inspection and it was discovered the tavern did not comply with several regulations.
Board spokesperson Mgwebi Msiya told DK news the tavern’s liquor licence had been suspended after a 17-year-old was found selling alcohol.
A 17-year-old selling is in contravention of our legislation and empowers us to immediately suspend the licence,” Msiya said.Other issues ranged from tables being placed outside demarcated areas, to no visible liquor licence on the premises.
The tavern has been in trouble before after photographs of underage children carrying alcohol and in compromising positions were published on their Facebook page earlier this year.
The Eastern Cape Liquor Board lodged an investigation after the pictures of the New Year’s Eve party went viral on social media.While some social media users circulated the images and poked fun at the children, many lambasted Emalaydini’s tavern for failing to exercise its responsibility to restrict underage children from buying liquor.
At the time, co-owner Masinga Ndungane said the youngsters seen in the pictures had been outside the establishment.On Friday, Ndungane said the inspection and closure of the business had nothing to do with Weekend Post.
“We have never asked for any assistance from the newspaper when planning events and we have nothing to say now.”
Msiya said the outlet had been problematic for several months, with numerous complaints received.
He said there had been other notices of non-compliance issues.Duba, who is also the Eastern Cape SA National Civic Organisation secretary, said he had received several calls from resident asking that he act quickly.
“We felt that we should respond to the call from the public and come and look at the situation ourselves. This place has been notorious for breaking the law,” he said.
Duba said he had also been tagged on several posts on social media about the appearance of Wabantu next weekend.
“This is where the problem starts. We can’t be a society that is feeding young children liquor. We need young people to invest their time in education and not alcohol,” Duba said.
“Pro-activeness is what needed to happen to avoid another Enyobeni.
“We are always questioned after a tragic incident about where officials or parents were. So today we are making sure we do something about it.”
The infamous tavern in Scenery Park in East London made international news when 21 children dropped dead in June.
The liquor board opened a case against the owner, Siyakhangela Ndevu, after the tragic death of the children, some as young as 13, for selling alcohol to underage children.
Image: supplied
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