During a celebration of hlanjwa iphepha (pens down), a tradition in South Africa that celebrates the end of school exams, a stampede allegedly occurred at the tavern on 26 June 2022.[5] Videos of the venue prior to the disaster show that it was packed with young people, with many appearing to be underage.[6] A patron who was at the tavern told Al Jazeera that when the venue became overcrowded, security instructed people to leave, to no avail. The patron stated that a security guard closed the doors and sprayed a chemical into the crowd. The patron said they were unable to breathe and that "we suffocated for a long time and [were] pushing each other but there was no use because some people were dying".