The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) has called on the City of Cape Town to treat all minstrel organisations fairly when allocating event venues, saying it hopes a recent High Court victory will pave the way for constructive engagement ahead of future Tweede Nuwe Jaar celebrations.
Late last month, the Western Cape High Court dismissed the City of Cape Town’s application for leave to appeal in its legal battle with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA).
Judge Mokgoatji Lekhuleni ruled that the City’s appeal had no reasonable prospects of success and said allowing the matter to continue would be a “waste of judicial resources.”
The case arose after the City cancelled CTMCA’s confirmed booking for Vygieskraal Stadium, where the association had planned to host its Tweede Nuwe Jaar events in January this year.
On 29 December last year, the Western Cape High Court delivered a victory for Cape Town’s minstrel community, ordering that the City provide appropriate venues for their cultural traditions.
The ruling came after intense legal proceedings, with the CTMCA successfully challenging the City’s controversial withdrawal of venue permissions and parade permits.
During the appeal, the City argued that the booking had been confirmed by mistake because Vygieskraal Stadium allegedly did not meet the requirements of the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act.
The Court rejected the argument, ruling that the City was trying to introduce a new reason for its decision after the fact.
The City emphasised that the official Tweede Nuwe Jaar Festival organised by the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association remained unaffected and did proceed as planned on Monday 5 January at the new venue in Green Point.
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Igshaan Alexander, chair of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA), described the ruling as groundbreaking.
“We have been trying for the past nine years to engage with the City, asking them to be fair to our organisation. We are appealing to the City to provide venues compliant with the event instead of just denying us or using delaying tactics which lead to last-minute refusals.”
Alexander also called on the City to engage with the association on the way forward and future events, saying venue allocation should not favour certain organisations over others.
City responds
Responding to queries, the City said in a statement it provided various available dates at Athlone stadium, “but these were not taken up” by the CTMCA.
“While the events linked to the court matter are already in the past, the City will keep striving to support the minstrel community to achieve greater heights, as was the case with this past festive season’s robust and successful Tweede Nuwe Jaar and minstrel competition programme,” read the statement.
Meeting today
The City hosted an information session at the City Hall today to brief Christmas bands, Malay choir and Minstrel groups on its event permit and venue booking processes ahead of the busy festive season.
Representatives from associations, troupes, bands and choirs who registered in advance attended the session.
But Alexander feels the information session offered little new information for the CTMCA, saying it focused mainly on venue applications and compliance requirements that the association was already familiar with.
The City encouraged the CTMCA to “act timeously to secure available dates” in either public or private venues, which the city says are limited over the busy festive season.
ALSO READ: City loses appeal as minstrel community secures venue rights for traditional celebrations
