Tweede Nuwejaar rolls out in the Mother City

Thousands of Capetoanians and tourists gathered in the Cape Town Central Business District on Monday for the annual Tweede Nuwe Jaar celebrations.

The sound of drums, trumpets and other musical instruments reverberated through the Mother City’s streets as several processions of minstrels taking part in the carnival paraded past onlookers – some who had been sleeping on the pavements of the city since Friday night to secure their place to watch the spectacles.

Each troupe or troep (as they’re more commonly known in Cape Town) were dressed in colourful ensembles, and featured pensioners, adults and even some preschoolers with their faces painted in different colours doing marching in the soaring heat while doing intricate dance moves.

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Earlier there was concern about whether the carnival would go ahead after a dispute over who would host the event.

The City of Cape Town gave the Kaapse Klopse Karnivaal Association the rights to host the event along with R1.8 million rand in funding. This did not go down well with the previous hosts, the Cape Town Minstrels Carnival Association, which had since pulled their troupes from the event.

The Tweede Nuwe Jaar tradition stemmed from the 19th century when slaves were given the day off on January 2 to celebrate the new year.

Many in Cape Town see the carnival as a celebration of coloured identity, although there are those that disagree with this notion.