City concerned that service providers for minstrel parade have not been paid

The City of Cape Town is gravely concerned about the current status of the annual minstrel parade set to take place this Saturday 17 January 2015.

We have been informed that the Cape Cultural and Carnival Committee, which is responsible for organising the event, has not yet paid certain service providers who deliver crucial services in order for the parade to take place.

The committee is required to provide proof of payment to service providers as part of their event permit application and they have not yet done so, with just three days to go until the event day.

The City and the Western Cape Government gave money (R2 million and R2,35 million respectively) to the committee to organise the event and pay service providers.

The City would like to make it explicitly clear: if the event does not take place on Saturday, absolutely no one can blame the City as it will be because the committee has failed to pay the service providers with the money that the City has given them.

They have not paid their service providers the full amounts required. Proof of lack of payment follows below. There is therefore no guarantee that the event will go ahead as it cannot take place without these services.

If the event does not go ahead, we will take steps to reclaim the money we have given them to organise their event.

I would also like to make it clear that the City will not be providing any more money for this year's minstrel parade.

The committee has had no less than three opportunities in the past five working days to comply with the legislative requirements for hosting an event.

We have done all we can to support them in the past week and held two coordinating meetings to assist them and urged them to pay their service providers.

If this event does not take place, the committee will disappoint the people of Cape Town and be liable to repay the City's support funds.

Below is a letter from one of the service providers confirming that they have not yet been paid in full:

Statement issued by Patricia de Lille, Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, January 14 2015

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