Cape Town will bestow its highest civic honour, the Freedom of the City, on musician and theatre-maker David Kramer and the late Taliep Petersen, the City announced on 28 October, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The awards follow council approval and acceptance by Kramer and Petersen’s family; Petersen’s award will be presented posthumously at a special ceremony planned for January 2026.
The pair are synonymous with a distinctive Cape sound and stagecraft that brought local stories to national and international audiences.
Their collaborations gave South African musical theatre enduring works such as District Six: The Musical and Kat and the Kings, which blended entertainment with sharp social commentary and helped place Cape Town on the global theatre map.
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‘I am pleased to announce that Mr David Kramer and the late Taliep Peterson will receive the Freedom of the City of Cape Town[…]Our city will soon be awarding its highest civic honour, the Freedom of the City, and we’ll be awarding it for the first time in almost a decade,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis in his announcement on Facebook.
Kramer has long been a visible ambassador for the Mother City’s creative life, returning repeatedly to Cape stages and festivals.
Petersen’s life and career, cut short in 2006, remain central to the cultural memory of District Six and the Cape Malay musical tradition; his legacy lives on through his music, productions and the artists he mentored. Artscape Theatre Centre
Experts and artists said the recognition will renew public conversation about the power of storytelling to heal and remember.
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Picture: Gallo Images
