WESTERN Cape MEC for cultural affairs Ivan Meyer, pictured, has charged that elements in the Cape Town minstrels were pursuing their own personal agendas, putting the reputation of the annual cultural celebration at stake.
On Monday a group of furious minstrels staged a march in the city centre, saying the provincial government and city broke tradition by hosting minstrels on New Year's Day and not the traditional January 2.
They also decried a lack of support from the government, which denied the minstrels permission to march in the Bo-kaap as in the past.
Meyer said for the first time since funding and services have been provided to the minstrels and choir boards by the City of Cape Town and the provincial government, both parties had been invited to discuss the routes and dates.
"Based on a generally favourable response by the majority of the minstrel representatives on November 25 2010, and because they preferred not to march on January 2 2011 for religious reasons, January 1 2011 was agreed on for the date of the road march," he said.
Some of minstrels did not agree with the date and were asked to bring forward their suggestions in writing, but did not do so.
Meyer said his department and the city were providing more than R4,5million worth of funding and services for the annual celebrations.
The funding, he said, went to logistical and staging costs, events management training, municipal services such as traffic management, area clean-ups, emergency, safety and security services, first aid services, among other services.
MEC decries minstrels uproar
WESTERN Cape MEC for cultural affairs Ivan Meyer, pictured, has charged that elements in the Cape Town minstrels were pursuing their own personal agendas, putting the reputation of the annual cultural celebration at stake.
On Monday a group of furious minstrels staged a march in the city centre, saying the provincial government and city broke tradition by hosting minstrels on New Year's Day and not the traditional January 2.
They also decried a lack of support from the government, which denied the minstrels permission to march in the Bo-kaap as in the past.
Meyer said for the first time since funding and services have been provided to the minstrels and choir boards by the City of Cape Town and the provincial government, both parties had been invited to discuss the routes and dates.
"Based on a generally favourable response by the majority of the minstrel representatives on November 25 2010, and because they preferred not to march on January 2 2011 for religious reasons, January 1 2011 was agreed on for the date of the road march," he said.
Some of minstrels did not agree with the date and were asked to bring forward their suggestions in writing, but did not do so.
Meyer said his department and the city were providing more than R4,5million worth of funding and services for the annual celebrations.
The funding, he said, went to logistical and staging costs, events management training, municipal services such as traffic management, area clean-ups, emergency, safety and security services, first aid services, among other services.
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