Four years after Enyobeni: SA confronts the enduring challenge of youth drinking

YESTERDAY marked four years since the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy that claimed the lives of 21 teenagers in East London, a day that remains one of the darkest chapters in South Africa's recent history.

- ANITA NKONKI

The anniversary coincided with Substance Use Awareness Day, shifting the focus beyond remembrance to a pressing question: has enough changed to prevent another Enyobeni?

The conversation is especially urgent as schools close for the mid-year holidays, a period often associated with “pens-down” celebrations and parties where underage drinking continues to place young people at risk.

While investigations, inquests, and public debate have followed the tragedy since June 26, 2022, organisations working on the ground say the underlying drivers of underage drinking remain deeply rooted. Easy access to alcohol, peer pressure, weak enforcement of liquor laws, and the normalisation of drinking among young people continue to fuel the problem.

In response, prevention efforts are increasingly focusing on young people themselves.

More than 30 000 learners across the Eastern Cape have pledged to stay away from alcohol through the #NOToU18 Peer-to-Peer Programme, a campaign launched by AWARE.org, an association for alcohol responsibility and education in partnership with the Eastern Cape Liquor Board and United Through Sport.

Implemented in 40 schools across Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City Metro, in February it was revealed that the initiative recorded an 84% commitment rate among learners who pledged either to abstain from alcohol or reduce alcohol consumption while underage.