Lisa Isaacs
About 40 000 people are expected to descend on Mitchells Plain at the weekend as the 7th annual DStv Mitchells Plain Festival moves into full swing, with an array of local treats, talent and innovation on display.
The event, which starts today, will feature three days of non-stop, family-oriented entertainment aimed at both the young and young-at-heart, according to festival director Rozario Brown.
“We want to encourage our people to reclaim their community by coming out from behind locked doors and gates, and celebrating in their numbers all the good things taking place in our community,” Brown said.
He added that the festivities would contribute to social cohesion between various communities on the Cape Flats and surrounding areas.
And, for the first time in four years, carnival amusement rides will be part of the festival at Westridge Gardens.
“More than 150 local traders, SMMEs and corporates will be trading and exhibiting their goods and services side by side,” Brown said, adding that the event was expected to give the area’s local economy a R10 million boost.
Since inception in 2009, the festival has played host to high-profile guests, including President Jacob Zuma, Trevor Manuel, Premier Helen Zille, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, various cabinet ministers and a range of celebrities.
“Our real VIP guests, however, remain our most vulnerable citizens, our pensioners and disabled people,” he said.
More than 50 local artists, DJs and entertainers will enthrall the crowds.
This festival also gives scope to upcoming talent from the Cape Flats, with one such act being the Unexpected Dance Crew. It will be their second performance at the event.
Unexpected Dance Crew manager Ian Moerat said the team were formed out of the desire to get young children off the street and away from the temptations of drugs and gangsterism in Tafelsig.
The group was created in 2008 with about 10 dancers from the Cape Flats. They have since grown into a 25-member group of youngsters between the ages of 11 and 24.
“In Tafelsig, there is gangsterism around us, but we wanted to encourage young people to not get involved in that. We wanted them to get off the street and do something positive,” Moerat said.
“Last year was great. It was the first big event we performed at and we’re excited to perform in front of thousands of people this year.”
Mayco member for tourism, events and economic development Garreth Bloor said the City provides R250 000 in services to the event, including Traffic Services, Metro Police, Law Enforcement and Disaster Risk Management.
“Mitchells Plain boasts a vibrant community and while the festival is an opportunity to join together in celebration, it also provides an economic injection into the community and promotes development and inclusion,” Bloor said.
The Cape Times and Busy Corner Meat Wholesalers are also offering a R10 000 bursary to a pupil as part of the Mitchells Plain Festival.
Matric pupils are asked to write a 350-word essay on what or who inspired them to want to study at a tertiary institution. The winning essay will be published in the first week of January.
The Cape Times’ special festival supplement will also be available at the event. Children under six, pensioners and those with physical challenges enter for free. Children between six and 12 pay R22 and those over 13 R44.
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