​​Good evening, goeie naand, molweni, as-salaam alaikum, shalom.

Tonight is really one of my favourite evenings of the entire year. I look around and at all of you this evening, I see your vibrancy and I see the true beauty of our city. You are the fibre that makes Cape Town the amazing city that it is.

Tonight is a celebration of you and the melting pot of all our cultures. It’s a celebration of the work that you do to make this great city even greater.

You have come together from all walks of life, and all corners of the city joined by your love for Cape Town – the most beautiful city in the world.

This is what a truly Inclusive City looks like.

It is incredible to see almost 55 000 of you unified in your diversity this evening.
 
Cape Town Carnival has become a platform for us to come together and created a shared culture.
 
The City of Cape Town is a proud sponsor of the Cape Town Carnival, now in its seventh year. This year it has created over a thousand jobs and given over two thousand people the opportunity to be a part of the parade.  There are 50 community groups who have been included in the show this evening.

Tonight, together, we create a shared heritage. It’s a heritage based on respect, freedom and ubuntu.

Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this evening a success.

I look forward to the wonderful time that we will have together here this evening.

Thank you.

God bless.
 

End