Events cancelled due to Covid-19

Courtneigh Davids, from Strandfontein, was meant to perform at the Southern Mail Wynberg Family Festival.

As the number of Covid-19 infections around the country continue to increase, and in the light of restrictions put in place by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his address on Sunday night, a number of events, among them the Two Oceans Marathon and Cape Town International Jazz Festival have been cancelled or postponed.

Among them is the Southern Mail Wynberg Family Festival, which was to have taken place at Maynardville in Wynberg, later this month. The festival is sponsored by Southern Mail.

“We took this difficult decision after extensive consultation and deliberations with various key stakeholders, staff members, some of our most valued vendors and artists,” said festival organiser, Rozario Brown.

“The safety of our staff, partners and patrons, remains of great importance to us and government’s stringent measures imposed in an effort to deal with this crisis (on Sunday) validated our decision.”

Mr Brown added that the festival will now take place from Friday to Sunday September 25 to 27.

“The venue has been booked, the amusement park is confirmed, most of our existing vendors will continue to support us and we are hereby calling upon you, our most valued and loyal supporters and partners, to continue supporting us with this new date,” he said.

This year’s Cape Town International Jazz Festival has also been postponed as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus.

The festival was scheduled to take place on Friday March 27 and Saturday March 28 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

“This has been a difficult decision and one we have not made lightly. As a flagship event for South Africa, with over 40 000 local and international attendees, we are committed to acting in the best interest of our loyal festinos, performing artists, service providers, employees and the public at large,” said festival director, Billy Domingo.

“After 20 years of bringing some of the top local and international artists to the Mother City, we are deeply disappointed to postpone this year’s event at such late notice. However, protecting the health of the public is the most responsible course of action at this time. We apologise for any inconvenience and will assist our loyal festinos to navigate the refund process in order to make it as seamless as possible.”

For details on ticket refunds, visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of the website, www.capetownjazzfest.com

For refunds on hospitality packages, contact the espAfrika hotline on 021 671 0506 or email hospitality@espafrika.com to be assisted by the team.

In a statement issued to the media on Sunday, the Cape Town Carnival Trust said the Cape Town Carnival, which was to be held on Saturday March 21, had been cancelled in the light of the COVID-19 pan-
demic and the government’s ban on gatherings of more than 100
people.

“In consultation with our stakeholders, the trustees and management of the Cape Town Carnival resolved to cancel the carnival parade in the best interests of the health and welfare of all people and particularly the communities we serve,” the Trust said.

“We would like to thank the 44 community groups, the individual performers, and the Carnival staff that have worked tirelessly to prepare for this event.”

Professor Rachel Jafta, chairperson of the Cape Town Carnival Trust, added: “My heart goes out to the carnival communities and our management team that have worked so hard to make this year’s parade extra special. Don’t lose hope; we will be back. We thank our sponsors and suppliers for their understanding in these uncertain times.”