Jim Mohlala|Published
Khoi royal houses and traditional leaders have confronted Wanga Kape at the Castle of Good Hope, demanding that a hut built by her family on the grounds be demolished and that they leave the historic site.
The dispute escalated on Sunday, 18 October, when a delegation from the Oedasoa Cochoqua Royal Kingdom, led by ambassador Eugene Gantimo Sias, arrived at the Castle. A further delegation, including leaders from the Royal Leadership of SA (ROLESA), returned on Monday to demand the family’s removal.
IOL Media was present when Kape was confronted on Sunday. She reportedly locked herself and her family in a room that had been handed to them by Castle management.
Kape had left her children at the Castle before the leaders arrived on Monday 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.”
He explained that, under their customary laws, people settling in a different area were expected to approach the local chief.
“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.”
Sias said the delegation had arrived to confront Kape because she had not followed that process.
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 added that the delegation wanted to establish where she came from, accusing her of undermining their kingdom and its practices.
“We’re very straightforward: this hut that the family erected here must be destroyed.”
‘Who are these people?’
Paramount Chief Elman Pienaar of the Sosoequa Royal House, who returned to the Castle on Monday with other ROLESA leaders, said 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.”
Pienaar questioned why the family had been allowed to remain at the Castle since September and why they had access to a room with couches.
“If I were to do this in the castle, I’d be thrown out within seconds, but they have been here since September,” he said.
He also questioned who was funding the legal action involving the family.
He said any development at the site should honour Khoi, San and Nguni traditions.
ROLESA demands family’s 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 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.”
Nakani accused law enforcement of failing to act, saying no case had been opened despite verbal reports from royal houses.
“For weeks, no case has been opened, no action taken, despite verbal reports by our Royal Houses,” he said.
He questioned whether the law was being applied equally, adding that ROLESA would approach the Public Protector and the Western Cape High Court for an urgent interdict if no action was taken within seven days.
Family’s proposal for an Indigenous storytelling space
On Thursday, 15 October, 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 and requested 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 paying a fixed rental, the group would curate and manage the space, while the Castle would receive 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, 20 October. The Castle is challenging a court order that apparently gave the family the right to remain permanently.