Olwethu Xabanisa
Hundreds of Community members are gathered outside the Enyobeni tavern in Scenery park in East London where several pupils were found dead.
Our East London correspondent Olwethu Xabanisa says it is almost impossible to reach the crime scene as cars are parked everywhere with parents crying at the scene.
Earlier reports stated that 22 people were found dead, however, Xabanisa says the death toll is 20 with two in a critical condition.
He says all the victims were aged between 14 and 19 and were celebrating what is known as Hlanjwa iphepha, a party to celebrate the end of the exams.
Seventeen bodies were recovered at the scene while three died later in hospital.
The MEC for Safety as well as police and a representative of the Eastern Cape liquor board and the spokesperson for Education are on the scene.
Meanwhile, a local resident who spoke to Algoa FM News said he heard about the tragedy in the early hours of the morning when his relative's mother phoned him.
Mfundo Watani says he rushed to the scene as his 15-year-old female relative was at the tavern to celebrate the end of exams.
He says according to her, the club was packed and at some point, someone sprayed pepper spray and chaos broke out.
Watani says she told him that people were running thinking there was a fight whilst others were choking and coughing.
He said she was the only person left standing and eventually called her mother after a security guard offered her a phone.
Watani said he had never seen anything like this in his life and that his loved one was severely traumatised.
Eastern Cape SAPS said seven of the confirmed dead were females and thirteen were males.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkos Kinana said inquest dockets have been registered for further investigation.
Buffalo City Executive Mayor, Xola Pakati, said; "whilst the details of what exactly happened are still being investigated by the police, we find the occurrence disturbing and it is in fact the greatest tragedy that has ever happened in our Metro."
"We call on law enforcement agencies to leave no stones unturned and ensure that those responsible are made to pay for this calamitous incident. What has happened can be equated to a massacre," he said.
