The Kiffness faces backlash ahead of Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
Musician The Kiffness.
Image: Facebook
The Kiffness is set to perform at Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts on December 28.
The show is still weeks away but it has already started chatter online with a fraction of people not in favour of the musician taking to the stage.
Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts is a highly popular event in Cape Town and is known to be a sold out affair. Critics have slammed organisers for putting The Kiffness, real name David Scott, bringing out his past comments on social issues.
Critics online have said that The Kiffness has had views described as racist and denying genocide in Gaza.
Mothers4Gaza and Palestine Solidarity Campaign shared their outrage over Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts booking the musician and said, “The Kiffness is not 'just a musician.” His public statements: Deny genocide in Gaza.
“Smear humanitarian leaders and pro-Palestinian voices. Spread Islamophobia, racism, and far-right narratives. Undermine South Africa’s moral and constitutional values.”
@missdanibagel said: “Kirtsenbosch concerts getting called out and not doing anything about the Kiffness on their lineup is a perfect representation of how Cape Town handles its business.”
The organisation picketed at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens this week calling for the withdrawal of The Kiffness from the 2025/26 Summer Concert. Wearing keffiyahs and waving Palestinians flags, about 100 protesters stood outside of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) offices demanding to speak to a representative.
“A racist and islamaphobe in terms of the comments he has been making, he belongs to a growing movement in South Africa, the MAGA movement, Make Apartheid Great Again. He has made horrible comments about the reintroduction of separation, about hatred amongst the people of South Africa, causing dissension. And they have invited him for the Summer Concert.
"We are telling SANBI, please, don’t allow such a person to perform at Kirstenbosch because you normalise racism, supremacy, islamophobia and the attacks that have been directed to South Africa,” said Usuf Chikte from the PSC.
The Kiffness in response to comedian and ventriloquist Chester Missing’s post that called him an “apartheid denying bigots”, explained that he never denied apartheid but always said it was a terrible system.
Despite the online discourse on the show, tickets are selling with 50% already sold out.
“My Kirstenbosch show on 28 December is by far my most talked about show ever! I appreciate all the interest,” tweeted The Kiffness.