A painful reminder of Throb nightclub tragedy 22 years ago
THE death of 21 teenagers in an East London tavern was a bitter reminder of the Throb nightclub tragedy in Chatsworth, Durban, 22 years ago.
On March 24, 2000, 13 children were killed when a stampede broke out in the overcrowded nightclub, following the detonation of a teargas canister. The youngest victim was aged 11. About 600 children had been celebrating the end of the school term.
Among those who lost their lives were Jadeine Mohunlal, Guresha Naidoo, Prean Govindsamy, Junaid Gaffoor, Leeosha Sowrimuthu, Nolan Pillay, Preston Premsingh, Sumaya Jhetam, Chantal Maduray, Vaneshree Pillay, Rory Soobramoney, Sumeshan Govender and Sumaya Kudoos.
In the early hours of last Sunday, 21 teenagers, the youngest aged 13, were found dead inside the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park in East London.
The youngsters, whose deaths are still unexplained, were celebrating the end of school term and others a birthday party.
The tavern’s licence was revoked on Monday.
This week families of the Throb nightclub victims said they were reminded of their own loss and empathised with the East London families.
Rory Soobramoney’s dad, Lazarus, said this should never have happened again. “Our condolences to the families. Our prayers go out to them. This is such a loss and a tragedy.
“When I heard news of the incident it made me think about what happened to my son. I wished this would never happen to anyone else again. It brings shivers to the body when I hear of incidents like this. These are young children who were supposed to be protected by adults. There needs to be stricter control so this does not happen again,” said Lazarus.
Sumeshan’s mother, Lucy Govender, said hearing of this tragedy took her back 22 years in time.
“Society and the nightclub have once again failed our youngsters. This has happened all over again. Nothing has been done since 2000 to now. Knowing it was end of term, these establishments should have been more alert and stricter.
“There are no strict regulations. I suppose it is also greed; these places are only concerned about making money. Children should also know they should not be going to crowded places like this,” said Govender.
Sumaya’s brother, Aslam Kudoos, said it was never easy accepting the death of a young person.
“I wouldn’t want this to happen to any other family. My 76-year-old mother has not got over the tragedy. When I heard about the incident last week, memories of the Throb tragedy came flooding back. We can feel for the families. It’s never easy for a parent to lose their child. I watched the pain my parents went through. They questioned why God didn’t take them,” said Kudoos.
Jamie Naicker, 35, who was in the Throb nightclub when the stampede broke out, said the memories of that day were still fresh in her mind.
Naicker, who was 13 at the time, had planned to go to the movies but ended up at the nightclub with her two cousins.
On their arrival, she said they all paid an entrance fee and made their way up the stairway, where they found a bench next to the wall and sat down. In front of them were the dance floor, DJ corner and a bar.
“In the few minutes that we had arrived and were sitting and relaxing, the dance floor started filling up with smoke and my female cousin, who was excited by it, got up and ran towards it.
“As I was sitting there and shying away, I could see from the distance people covering their noses and fumbling around. It was unclear what was happening, but the music was still playing and I saw my cousin take her blouse to cover her nose,” she said.
An emotional Naicker recalled how the smoke gradually filled the room, almost causing her to pass out from inhalation. By the time she decided to go outside, the stairway they used was already packed with people trying to escape.
“Before I knew it, we were down and I was buried under a bunch of bodies and only my right arm and head were exposed. I could not move the rest of my body as there were dead bodies lying everywhere.”
After much struggle, she was able to find her cousins and they made their way home together, in blood-stained white jeans.
Naicker said the weeks after the incident were a nightmare that served as a constant reminder of what had happened.
“Hearing about the teenagers who died in the tavern made me relive what we went through,” said Naicker.
Billy Dlamini, 43, felt the same. He too was at Throb when the stampede happened more than two decades ago.
Dlamini said the incident at Enyobeni Tavern reminded him of the near-death episode that he and his friends had experienced.
“The only difference between the Throb nightclub and the Enyobeni incident is that one happened during the day, while the other was at night and to a larger number of people.
“Although the real cause of death has not been officially announced in the East London incident, at Throb it was official that the detonation of tear gas was the root cause of the havoc, and many people who were underage lost their lives at the club.”
Dlamini said the Throb memory would be with him forever.
“I distinctly remember that day because it was my birthday. I had finished matric in 1995 and decided with some friends who were still in school that we would go out to celebrate at Throb nightclub, and it was the end of the school term,” he said.
He confirmed that the nightclub was packed and, before he knew it, the entire place was engulfed in smoke.
“When the tear gas detonated, we began to suffocate because the club was packed to capacity and we could
not breathe. Fortunately none of the people I was with died. We got away with injuries because we were not too far from the door when the ‘tamasha’ broke out. I got injured on my forehead, and my friend broke his leg,” he said.
Dlamini added that although most attendees were underage, the club
owners had allowed them in because it was well known that scholars gathered at this particular club for any celebration.
Dlamini called on the police to ensure that the full might of the law was applied, and for parents always to keep tabs on their children’s whereabouts at all times, regardless of gender.