The City of Cape Town has lost another round in its legal battle with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association.
The Western Cape High Court dismissed the City’s application for leave to appeal in the dispute over Vygieskraal Stadium.
Judge Mokgoatji Lekhuleni ruled on Monday that the City’s appeal had no real prospect of success.
The judge also described further litigation in the matter as a waste of judicial resources.
The case centres on confirmed bookings for Tweede Nuwe Jaar events earlier this year.
Stadium Booking Dispute
The dispute started after the City cancelled the association’s confirmed booking for Vygieskraal Stadium.
The stadium had been booked for events on 1, 10, 17 and 24 January.
The City initially confirmed the booking on 17 and 19 September 2025.
It then cancelled the booking on 22 September.
The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association later turned to the High Court on 29 December 2025.
The association wanted clarity after the confirmed booking was withdrawn.
Court Finds City Acted Unlawfully
Judge Lekhuleni found that the City acted unlawfully when it withdrew the booking after confirming it.
The court said the City could not reverse the decision on its own without going back to court.
The judgment also stated that organs of state cannot simply ignore or undo administrative decisions whenever they choose.
The City argued during appeal proceedings that the booking had been confirmed in error.
It claimed Vygieskraal Stadium allegedly did not comply with the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act.
But the court rejected that argument.
It found that the City was trying to bring in a new reason after the fact.
The court also said the City itself was responsible for ensuring venue compliance.
Legal Costs to Follow
Following the dismissal, the association’s attorneys are expected to proceed with the taxation and recovery of legal costs.
This will be done in line with the court’s costs order.
The City said it had offered other available dates at Athlone Stadium, but those dates were not taken up.
It also said the events linked to the case had already passed.
However, the City said it would continue supporting the minstrel community and its Tweede Nuwe Jaar and minstrel competition programme.
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