Klopse Clash: Minstrels March On As City Files Fresh Court Appeal

The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) has vowed to take to the streets of the Mother City as a heated legal battle over the Kaapse Klopse Karnival venue intensifies.

The association maintains that its 2026 competition cannot be postponed beyond this weekend, despite the City of Cape Town launching a second legal appeal just days before the event is due to begin.

The minstrel competition is separate from the official Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade, which is scheduled to take place in Green Point on Monday, 5 January 2025.

Court Orders City to Find Alternative Venue For Minstrel Carnival

In a late-night ruling on Wednesday, the Western Cape High Court once again ordered the City of Cape Town to comply with an earlier directive requiring it to identify and fund a suitable alternative venue for the Kaapse Klopse Karnival from 1 January 2026.

Judge James Lekhuleni reaffirmed that the city must make an appropriate venue available for the CTMCA’s event, despite the city’s pending appeal against the initial ruling.

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The City has since filed another appeal — this time related to an event application for the use of Vygieskraal Stadium.

City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo confirmed that a further appeal was lodged on Friday and will be heard by a full bench of the high court.

City Says ‘No Other Venues Available’

Tyhalibongo said the City had offered assistance with alternative dates at Athlone Stadium.

“The city has offered to assist the CTMCA with available dates for Athlone Stadium and awaits provisional bookings and permit applications in this respect,” he said.

“The City has since formally offered to help the CTMCA with Athlone Stadium on available mid-week dates in January and a weekend in February. This offer is, of course, subject to CTMCA duly complying with applicable legislation, including those laws that regulate the event permitting process and doing business with the City.”

He added that no other venues were available on the dates requested by the CTMCA in January.

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“On 2 January, the City also filed an appeal to a related High Court order, which expects the impossible: to provide a venue that simply isn’t available on the dates requested.”

CTMCA lawyer Junaid Jumat said they were informed on Friday of the city’s second appeal.

“We will potentially have to go back to court. We’re not happy with the way that the city is conducting themselves in this matter. I think a simple resolution was, as we asked him, let’s meet at the round table and let’s try and get this matter settled,” Jumat said.

Vygieskraal Stadium at Centre of Dispute

The dispute stems from a September 2025 booking of Vygieskraal Stadium for the historic carnival, which celebrates the identity, heritage and resilience of Cape Town’s diverse communities.

Although the booking was provisionally approved, the City later withdrew permission, citing “operational, as well as safety concerns”.

Despite the ongoing court battle, celebrations for the Kaapse Klopse Karnival remain scheduled for 6 January 2026, aligning with the city’s stance that it is “all systems go” ahead of the official Tweede Nuwe Jaar festivities.

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