The infamous bouncer in the Enyobeni tavern tragedy was too emotional to continue giving evidence on Friday, as investigations into the deaths of 21 young people continue.
The court had to adjourn to 28 October, with evidence leader, Advocate Luvuyo Vena, recommending that Thembisa Diko consult with a psychologist.
Her breakdown comes amidst her testimony on Thursday, detailing her version of what transpired in the Scenery Park tavern over two years ago.
On Thursday, Vena first questioned Diko about her sexuality.
She said she was born female but identifies as a man.
Vena asked why the tavern owners, Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu, would employ her to search females at the door when she identified as male.
Day of Incident
Diko testified that on 25 June 2022, she arrived at work at about 4pm to find the tavern already packed to capacity.
She said she resumed her duties at the door, searching patrons who were old enough to get inside, while turning away underage children.
“I saw Ndevu and told him the tavern was already too full, and that there were kids pushing to get inside.
He only shrugged and went inside – dismissing what I said.”
“I was with another bouncer named ‘Spitch’. The patrons managed to push us out of the way and against the wall. I feared getting injured.”
Diko said she pepper sprayed the patrons outside to disperse the crowd, but they were not deterred, they forced their way inside.
“That is when Spitch and I decided to abandon our duties and go inside the tavern, my girlfriend was already there drinking and so I joined her on the balcony.”
She partied and drank, at some point during the night she went to buy more liquor by the counter where Ndevu was stationed.
“He did not ask me about my duties, I bought my carry pack and continued to party upstairs.”
At this point, Diko said the tavern was way overcrowded, there was barely space to move as she had to squeeze past people to get upstairs.
Moments later, Diko said the first patron rushed upstairs saying something was suffocating them downstairs, immediately thereafter, the patron fainted.
“A girl standing by the DJ booth also fell, she died immediately.” Diko sniffled.
“I opened a window and told my girlfriend to put her head outside so that she could breathe clean air. From the upstairs window, I could see patrons squeezing out of the bathroom window downstairs.”
That’s when it dawned on her that something was seriously wrong.
“I went downstairs slowly, and all I could see were bodies lying on the floor.
“Some children were pressed underneath tables with the benches on top of them.”
It was at this point that Diko started choking on her words and tearing up while giving her evidence.
“I had a small nip of alcohol in my pocket, I gulped that, wishing I could also die.”
Diko said there was no staff in sight, she proceeded to the kitchen and asked the cashier what was going on, and he said he did not know.
“I asked for more alcohol so I could be completely out of it.”
The former bouncer has made three statements with police, when asked why, she said she was too drunk to remember all the details in the first statement that day.
Parents
Meanwhile parents of the deceased have been attending proceedings and weighed in on the evidence before court.
One Khululekile Ncandana responded to the evidence of two patrons, Sinalo Mthizana and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
The young women had previously said a girlfriend to an employee at Enyobeni had been forewarned by her boyfriend to not go to the tavern that night, as “something would be going down.”
The ladies said the morning after the incident, they were too traumatized to ask “Sethu” what she meant by that statement.
Ncandana said that this "forewarning" implies that the deaths of their children might have been premeditated.
Last week, the families’ advocate, Zilindile Magqabi, said one of the patrons was found to have swelling on the brain, bleeding on her heart wall and bleeding in the hollow part of her stomach.”
The inquest will now proceed from 28 October to 1 November in the Mdantsane Magistrates Court.
