The new route skips key historical streets.
The ANC in the Western Cape has condemned the City of Cape Town’s decision to reroute the annual Minstrel Festival, also known as the Kaapse Klopse Karnival.
The party said confining the Kaapse Klopse to DHL Stadium is an attempt to commercialise this significant cultural celebration of the Klopse heritage.
Carnival
The Kaapse Klopse is an expression of identity, heritage, and resilience for Cape Town’s diverse communities. Its annual celebration, dating back to the 19th Century, allows enslaved communities to celebrate their New Year’s Day on the “off day,” observed on the 2nd of January, also known as the Tweede Nuwe Jaar.
The new route skips key historical streets, prompting the Cape Town minstrel carnival association to approach the Western Cape High Court.
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‘Tone deaf’
ANC Spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said that the city’s leadership is tone-deaf to the culture it claims to represent.
“The ANC calls on the City to stop fiddling with the historic heritage and cultural expression of the diverse community of the Cape; its attempt at cultural erasure of the Klopse is condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“We are opposed to the rerouting of the festival to DHL Stadium. We are calling on the City to allow the festival to continue in the heartlands of the City, in the streets of Bo-Kaap, District Six, the Central Business District and all the historic routes of the carnival. Any plans to move the festival away from this, we stand opposed to it,” Mtsweni said.
‘Not custodian’
City of Cape Town spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo told The Citizen that the City of Cape Town is not the custodian nor the organiser of the Tweede Nuwe Jaar or the Cape Town Street Parade event as it is currently known.
“Therefore, the City cannot and does not decide on the route of the road march. That decision resides with the minstrel fraternity, and currently, the organisation responsible for the event logistics is the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association.”
Defending the route
The Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA) defended changes to the 2026 Kaapse Klopse Karnival, saying the revised route and format are aimed at protecting the event’s cultural integrity, addressing rising costs and providing relief.
It said safety responsibilities and long-term sustainability pressures that participating troupes face.
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Culture and savings
KKKA director Muneeb Gambino told The Citizen the association’s board, largely composed of troupe owners, carefully weighed cultural, logistical and financial considerations before confirming that the street parade and the first day of competition would take place on 5 January 2026.
“So there’s nothing sinister about it. It was a purely pragmatic approach to this so that we could have our carnival this year, still in terms of the pressure that Ramadan, the Muslim calendar, puts on the festive season calendar.
“So that’s what that was about. The corollary of that is that by bringing two days into one, the troupes are also making massive savings,” Gambino said.
The matter in the Western Cape High Court is expected to be heard on Monday.
ALSO READ: Kaapse Klopse carnival more than just colourful entertainment
