“We still don’t know what exactly killed our children. But we know the law was broken that night, and probably many nights before that,” Ramaphosa told more than a thousand mourners at the funeral in East London for the youths who died in a pub nearly two weeks ago. “We are losing our future generation to the scourge of underage alcohol,” the president said, calling on police to determine the exact cause of their deaths and calling on officials to prevent young people from accessing bars. “We need to lay the blame at the feet of those who are making money off the dreams and lives of young South Africans by breaking the law and selling them alcohol,” he said. Two rows of caskets in front of Ramaphosa symbolized the lost lives of young people. “Today we shed bitter tears for the 21 young people who lost their lives in this tragedy,” Ramaphosa said. “These children should not have died. Their deaths could have been prevented if the law had been followed.” Funeral hymns were sung by a large choir as the 19 coffins were carried to a large stage where the service was held in East London’s Scenery Park borough. Two families had private burials, and service organizers said the caskets on display were empty, respecting the wishes of some families. The children are to be buried in various cemeteries later Wednesday and in the coming days, they said. The tent was full, so many mourners sat outside. It is not yet known what caused the death of the children, one aged just 13, whose bodies were found at Enyobeni Tavern. He was under the legal drinking age of 18 in South Africa, officials said. Pathologists study the cause of death from blood samples. A riot was ruled out because the victims’ bodies did not show serious injuries, police said. Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy as he faces several challenges, including widespread power outages in South Africa, widespread allegations of corruption and questions about large sums of cash allegedly found hidden in furniture on his own game farm. “I’ve heard some say I have no business coming here to Scenery Park. Some have said I have bigger problems to fix,” Ramaphosa told the rally. “But I ask them, what is more important in this country, and on this land, than the lives of our children?”
