David Kramer receives 'Freedom of the City' with humour

Cape Town’s newest Freedom of the City recipient, David Kramer, used the occasion to mix humour with pointed reflection.

The musician, playwright and cultural chronicler's work has documented the lives and humour of ordinary Capetonians for decades.

The Freedom of the City - Cape Town’s highest civic honour - has its roots in ancient tradition, once granting trusted citizens special privileges within city walls.

At the Cape Town City Hall on Tuesday night, Kramer leaned into that history, jokingly asking Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis for modern-day freedoms, including free parking, grazing rights for his sheep on green point common, and permission for his ostriches to roam freely through the company’s garden.

He also used the moment to question the symbols that occupy prominent public spaces, calling for a new statue outside the slave lodge that better reflects the spirit of the city.

“The statue we should erect in Cape Town is a man beating the ghoema drum, because even when the wind isn’t blowing, you can still feel the heartbeat of this city.”

Kramer said the honour carried special meaning being awarded alongside his longtime collaborator and friend, the late Taliep Petersen, whose influence continues to shape the city’s cultural life.