CAPE TOWN – The City of Cape Town has announced its intention to seek leave to appeal a late-night Western Cape High Court ruling that ordered the municipality to provide suitable venues for Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) competitions, expressing disappointment with the judgment while defending its commitment to public safety standards.
The municipality’s response comes after the High Court sided with the CTMCA on Monday evening.
Despite plans to challenge the ruling, the City stated it is simultaneously working to comply with the court order by identifying appropriate venues that meet safety requirements for the CTMCA’s internal competitions.
“The City is disappointed by the judgement handed down in the Western Cape High Court late last night,” municipal officials said. “Whilst the City is in the process of applying for leave to appeal the court’s order, the City is committed to supporting the Minstrel culture and rich heritage.”
The municipality noted that only two venues in Cape Town are certified for medium-risk events: Athlone Stadium and DHL Stadium. However, existing bookings mean these facilities are not available on all dates requested by the CTMCA and specified in the court ruling.
The original dispute
The legal confrontation began in September when the CTMCA applied for provisional booking of Vygieskraal Stadium for their competitions. While initially approved, the City withdrew the booking after conducting comprehensive internal safety reviews.
The municipality’s primary concern centred on venue classification requirements under the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act. Vygieskraal Stadium is graded only for low-risk events, while the South African Police Service classifies minstrel events as medium-risk, creating a regulatory mismatch.
“Following a comprehensive internal review, the City withdrew the provisional booking a few days later, after identifying significant operational and safety concerns, including statutory venue risk-grading and event risk-grading limitations,” the City explained.
Beyond venue limitations, the City also cited the CTMCA’s failure to submit mandatory documentation required for event permit processing, despite being informed of these requirements.
“In the absence of complete documentation, the City was unable to lawfully proceed with the permit review process for the CTMCA competitions,” municipal officials stated, emphasizing their position that they acted lawfully and reasonably throughout the process.
Defending cultural support
The City strongly rejected suggestions that it does not support minstrel events, calling such claims a “false narrative” and highlighting its substantial financial investment in various minstrel organisations.
“It is regrettable that the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association continues to perpetuate a false narrative that the City does not support minstrel events. This is simply untrue,” the municipality stated.
To substantiate this claim, the City detailed its extensive support for multiple minstrel organisations and events, noting that “the funding allocated to Minstrel events represents the City’s single largest investment in events overall.”
The City’s extensive support includes backing the Cape Malay Choir Board’s Road March on 31 December 31 and their competitions running from November through December.
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The municipality also supports the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association’s Tweede Nuwe Jaar Street Parade on 5 January along with their competitions scheduled for January and February.
Additional supported events include the Cape Districts Minstrel Board competitions in January, Keep the Dream competitions in December, and the SA United Christmas Bands Board competitions running from February through March 2026.
An important distinction emerged regarding different minstrel organisations. The court ruling specifically addresses the CTMCA’s internal competitions and has no bearing on the popular Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade, which is managed by the separate Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA).
The 5 January Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade remains unaffected by this legal dispute and continues with full municipal support.
“The City remains fully supportive of minstrel traditions and encourages residents and visitors to come out in large numbers to support the various lawful events taking place across the city,” officials stated, while maintaining that all events must “comply with applicable legislation and safety standards, in the interest of public safety and responsible event management.”
