Jim Mohlala|Published
Khoi royal houses and traditional leaders have descended on the Castle of Good Hope to confront Wanga Kape and demand that the hut her family built on the grounds be destroyed and that she and her family be removed.
On Sunday, 18 October 2026, a delegation from the Oedasoa Cochoqua Royal Kingdom, led by ambassador Eugene Gantimo Sias, arrived at the Castle.
IOL Media was present when Kape was confronted. She locked herself and her family in a room, which was reportedly handed to them by Castle management.
On Monday, 18 October 2026, the Sosoequa Royal House, represented by Paramount Chief (PC) Elman Pienaar, returned with other leaders from the Royal Leadership of SA (ROLESA).
Kape had left her children at the Castle before they arrived and could not be traced for comment.
'We're not led by Dutch law'
Speaking to IOL Media at the Castle on Sunday, Sias said the family had not followed Khoi customary law.
“These ladies, who are illegal here, are on the land of the king,” Sias said.
“We are not led by Dutch law.”
“In our customary laws, when you go to a different area and come to another area, you must go to the local chief, just to mention that you are from another tribe and you want to settle there.”
According to Sias, she didn’t follow that process, and that’s the reason the delegations was there for a confrontation.
He said they were not questioning her identity.
“We are not saying that she is not Khoisan or any of origional people,” Sias said.
He said the delegation wanted to know where she came from.
“She is undermining our kingdom and the way we have been operating.”
“We’re very straightforward: this hut that the family erected here must be destroyed.”
'Who are these people?'
Pienaar told IOL Media on Monday that he was shocked by the family’s presence.
“I am shocked. How is it possible that people from nowhere have the opportunity to come set up in the Castle while we, as military veterans, don’t have that privilege?” Pienaar said.
He added: “They undermine our culture, our tradition and everything about us.”
“If I were to do this in the castle, I’d be thrown out within seconds, but they have been here since September.”
“They were given a special room with couches and everything.”
“We know this room is always locked. Now, all of a sudden, it is unlocked for them.”
“The privilege to take us to court - who is paying for it?”
He said any development at the site should honour Khoi, San and Nguni traditions.
ROLESA demands removal
Chief Vumile Nakani, the Western Cape provincial chairperson of the ROLESA Integrated Unity Council, was also at the Castle on Monday with leaders from other tribes.
Nakani told IOL Media that the council was “deeply disturbed and angered” by the occupation.
He said the Castle was more than a tourist attraction.
“The Castle of Good Hope is not just a tourist site. It is a Grade 1 National Heritage Site,” Nakani said.
He added: “It is a sacred burial ground, a place where our ancestors were imprisoned, tortured and killed. It is our church.”
He accused law enforcement of inaction.
“For weeks, no case has been opened, no action taken, despite verbal reports by our Royal Houses.”
“If our own Khoi-San Royal Families pitched a tent at the Castle, how many minutes would SAPS take to remove us? Why is law applied differently?”
“Laws of South Africa must apply to everyone equally, inside a heritage site.”
If no action is taken within seven days, Nakani said ROLESA would approach the Public Protector and the Western Cape High Court for an urgent interdict.
'Indigenous Storytelling'
On Thursday, October 15, Kape told IOL Media that the Castle had approved the family’s proposal.
The proposal, shared with IOL Media by Castle CEO Calvyn Gilfellan and allegedly approved by the Castle’s board, was submitted under the name uNoQhakancu: CORE OF THE SAND.
The group describes itself as an Indigenous storytelling, photography and cultural heritage initiative.
It asked for a permanent “Indigenous Storytelling Space” at the Castle.
The proposal said the space would be funded through sales of photographs, artworks and books, ticketed events, sponsorships and cultural tourism experiences.
Instead of a fixed rental, the group would curate and manage the space while the Castle receives an agreed commission on photographs and artworks sold.
Castle management declined to comment until the court ruling.
The Castle and Kape are due in court on Tuesday, October 20. The Castle is fighting a court order that apparently gave the family the right to stay permanently.