PARENTS in the Eastern Cape are cursing pens down parties as they continue to claim kids' lives.
This after yet another pens down party claimed the life of Thanduxolo Mcoteli (17) from East London on Sunday, 2 July.
The grade 11 pupil from Mzamowethu High School was found burnt to death in his shack, bringing to total the number of children who have died in the Eastern Cape due to alcohol use to 25 in the past 13 months.
In June 2022, 21 young people died at Enyobeni Tavern, while another two died on Christmas Day in 2022 at a tavern in Hofmeyr. But despite these tragedies, pens down parties remain popular among pupils.
Thanduxolo’s devastated mum said she curses pens down parties which are claiming children's lives. She said she woke up at 7am on Sunday morning to the news that her son, who was not a regular consumer of alcohol, had died after attending a pens down party at a tavern.
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Aadielah Maker Diedericks, Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA SA) secretary-general, said: “The unfortunate and tragic death of Thanduxolo supports the Southern SAAPA SA point that we cannot accept the lack of enforcement of laws around selling alcohol to minors.
“No concrete impactful changes are being made by the national and provincial governments to protect children from alcohol harm.
"We have been saying without any real coordinated and evidence-based changes, we will continue to see these kinds of incidents in our communities and we have implored government to respond and intervene. National and provincial governments' failure to do so has now led to another death and the blame is squarely to be laid at their door,” she said.
Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB) spokesman Mgwebi Msiya said: “Numerous reports show that alcohol consumption among school-going youth continues to be on an upward spiral. In an endeavor to alleviate the scourge of underage drinking in the Eastern Cape, ECLB is rolling out an Ambassador Programme targeting schools around the province.
“The programme seeks to create an environment where learner ambassadors educate other learners on the dangers of underage drinking. This will ensure that adolescents receive information from their peers rather than adults and can engage freely with each other."
