EFF slams changes to 2026 Kaapse Klopse parade route and entry fees
The EFF condemns changes to the 2026 Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade, opposing the rerouting and entry fees, calling on communities to protect the cultural integrity of the historic Kaapse Klopse tradition.
Image: Ian Landsberg/ Independent Newspapers
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has expressed strong opposition to the Democratic Alliance-led City of Cape Town and the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association’s (KKKA) decision to alter the route and format of the 2026 Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade.
The party voiced support for the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and local community leaders who have criticised the changes.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the party “fully supports the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and local community leaders in their opposition to the Democratic Alliance-led City of Cape Town and the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association's (KKKA) decision to fundamentally alter the route and format of the 2026 Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade.”
The EFF condemned the move to bypass historically significant sites and the introduction of entry fees at DHL Stadium.
The revised 2026 route, scheduled for Monday, 5 January, is set to start in Lower Chiappini Street, move along Somerset Road, and conclude inside DHL Stadium, instead of following the traditional path from District Six through the city centre to Bo-Kaap.
Thambo described the rerouting as appalling, noting that it “was done without any consultation whatsoever.”
He said the event is being moved away from historically significant areas “that are central to the lived experiences of the communities that birthed this carnival,” adding that the DA-led City and KKKA “are selling this heritage event for profit.”
The EFF also expressed concern over the decision to charge spectators for entry, with tickets reportedly costing R100 for adults and R60 for minors.
Thambo highlighted that for working-class families from the Cape Flats, for whom the parade has historically been a free public holiday, “the total cost including transport could now exceed R1,000,” effectively excluding the very communities that have sustained the Kaapse Klopse tradition for over a century.
While the KKKA and the City defend the changes as necessary for long-term sustainability and financial relief for troupes, Thambo said the EFF believes the move transforms a people’s celebration into a commodified spectacle.
He urged the minstrel fraternity to “exhaust all options to halt the changes and protect the cultural integrity of the event.”
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