In the mid-nineteenth century, Cape slaves were given the second day of the year off. To celebrate the “tweede nuwe jaar” – or second new year – the slaves would dress up and take to the streets and sing songs to the tune of their banjos.

An inherent part of Cape Town’s character the minstrel parade – or “Kaapse Klopse” -commemorates the past in a way which only we can.

So when the Taj Hotel manager, emailed the City of Cape Town to request that the minstrels make no noise while passing the hotel on their way to Adderley Street on the 30 and 31 December, there was much uproar from the community after the email was shared on Facebook:

EFF MP Nazier Paulsen posted an email exchange on Facebook yesterday, showing an exchange between the manager of the Taj Hotel in Cape Town, Michael Pownall and counsellor Gareth Bloor, the Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development for the City of Cape Town, asking him to make sure that his hotel is spared the music from the minstrels marching by on New Year’s eve.

Since the hotel opened five years ago, it had embraced the heritage of Cape Town. Here’s a bit of what Michael Pownall had to say:

They [choirs] should just march past and into Adderley St without music – This really is critical as I have a 100% full Hotel with very high-rate paying visitors, whom will SERIOUSLY complain if they cannot sleep due to this event.

We have had some co-operation in the past, but it has never been ideal… bad enough that we have to deal with the road closures and access problems this brings. Do let me know please.

He has since apologised:

I recognize in retrospect that my request to Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, Garreth Bloor, was insensitive and would like to retract it.

As the event organiser had been issued with a noise exemption, it was up to them to reduce noise whenever they saw fit.The organisers were only made aware of the letter after the event went ahead as planned.

We were not passing a mosque, or a holy shrine. It is just a hotel. No one else complains. The people in the guest houses and motels in the area don’t complain.

[source: news24]