The deaths of 21 young people at the Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park in 2022 will be revisited through theatre from October 17 to 23.
The award-winning production, Enyobeni The Play, will tour four venues in Buffalo City Metro, using the tragedy to raise questions about underage drinking, community responsibility and accountability.
Presented by Advent Concepts in collaboration with the Gompo Arts Centre, the 45-minute production will feature young performers from Duncan Village, Buffalo Flats, Mdantsane and Scenery Park.
All performances will be free, followed by discussions aimed at encouraging audiences, particularly young people, to reflect on the choices they make and the circumstances that put their lives at risk.
Enyobeni The Play won the Standard Bank Standing Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda earlier this year.
Project manager Simvuyele Hala said the production was inspired by the tragedy, which exposed a wider problem of underage drinking and the role of adults and those in positions of power in protecting children.
Originally developed with students from Rhodes University’s drama department, the production has been revived in 2026 with a cast drawn from local townships.
Performed primarily in isiXhosa, the production combines acting, singing and dance to explore underage drinking, alcohol abuse, greed, and the need for accountability among those entrusted with power.
The tour will begin at the Gompo Community Arts Centre in Duncan Village on Saturday at 2pm, followed by a performance at the East London Guild Theatre on October 19 at noon.
The production will move to Scenery Park on October 21 for a noon show, though the venue has yet to be confirmed.
The final performance will take place at Jesus Christ Family International in Mdantsane on October 23 at noon.
Hala said the decision to stage the performances in township communities was deliberate, as these were the areas the team wanted to reach with the production’s message.
Though the original intention was to tour every township in Buffalo City, limited funding meant the team could only select four locations.
The National Arts Council, the national department of arts and culture, and the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme are supporting the tour.
Hala said they made admission free because they wanted to reach children and families regardless of their financial circumstances.
“We are not looking to make a profit with our shows. We want to raise awareness among every child in KuGompo City, to equip them and inform them,” he said.
Schools are also being encouraged to bring pupils to the performances, with teachers and parents also invited to come along.
Hala described Enyobeni The Play as a form of protest through art.
“This production dares to ask the questions many people may shy away from. It is our way of protesting as artists without burning infrastructure,” he said.
The team hopes to secure further funding to take the production across the Eastern Cape and eventually the rest of SA, extending its message about underage drinking and the shared responsibility to protect young people.
