Mother City: a documentary exploring Cape Town's housing crisis
In a city still grappling with the scars of apartheid, "Mother City" emerges as a powerful documentary that confronts Cape Town's ongoing housing crisis head-on. This award-winning film not only exposes the stark realities of spatial inequality but also serves as a rallying cry for urban residents fighting for their right to a home.
As South Africa commemorates the 30th anniversary of its democracy, "Mother City" ignites crucial conversations about the systemic challenges faced by countless citizens, urging viewers to reflect on the urgent need for social justice and equitable access to housing.
On 11 February, one of the most auspicious days on South Africa’s calendar, the landmark Tafelberg Case goes before the Constitutional Court. The filmmakers will host two special screenings, one at the Killarney CineCentre on 10 February in partnership with the Joburg Film Festival, and another at the District 6 Museum on the same date as the hearing to draw attention to the issues raised in "Mother City."
“It is most fitting that the case is being heard on 11 February, as this day marks 59 years since District 6 was declared a 'whites only' area, displacing thousands of people. It is therefore profoundly meaningful to screen the film at the District 6 Homecoming Centre,” said Kethiwe Ngcobo, producer of the film. It was also on 11 February 1990 when Nelson Mandela, after 27 years in prison, walked out of the gates of prison, signalling the birth of South Africa’s democracy.
The Tafelberg School, owned by the Western Cape Government, was ideally situated for social housing development but was instead sold to a private developer. Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) and Reclaim the City (RTC), among others, took the matter to court as being unlawful. In a landmark ruling in 2020, Judge Patric Gamble determined that the sale of the old Tafelberg School site was indeed unlawful and that the land should be used for social housing.
The Western Cape government appealed, and activists lost at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein in 2023. The case was lodged with the Constitutional Court in the hope of definitively getting the Western Cape government to use this land for social housing, acknowledging the constitutional imperative to provide affordable housing in the inner city.
“This case is about holding the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town accountable for how they treat and use public land to redress spatial apartheid and ensure well-located affordable housing and equitable access to the city for all,” continues Kethiwe.
“From its inception, we wanted 'Mother City' to be a cinematically beautiful and journalistically hard-hitting story about an extraordinary group of activists in Cape Town,” explains Pearlie Joubert, co-director of the film. “Simultaneously, we wanted to make a documentary that would hold up a mirror to our society to spark conversation and debate. The film has proved to be a great tool for impact and activism. The film has already opened conversations between the City of Cape Town and housing activists.”
“After the premiere of 'Mother City,' which opened the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival in June 2024, The Daily Maverick hosted a webinar inviting the mayor of Cape Town, housing activist Nkosikhona Swartbooi, and urban researcher Nick Budlender to engage on this issue,” said Miki Redelinghuys, co-director of the film. “We have drawn the broader public to engage with the issue in various discussions and attracted student debate at screenings at UCT and UWC. The film team hopes to build support to stop the eviction at Cissy Gool House and the release of the Tafelberg site for social housing. We would like to see the water reconnected at the Helen Bowden Nurses’ Home, where water was cut off when the building was occupied by housing activists in 2017. Our 'Mother City' documentary supports action for a more equal city, especially when it comes to basic services and sanitation in all areas of the metropole.”
The filmmakers plan to support RTC activists from Cape Town to travel to Johannesburg for the screening and the Constitutional Court hearing. “The activists at the forefront of this fight against spatial apartheid and their attendance at this hearing is sending a powerful message to the highest court of the land.”
A special impact fundraiser screening to help support the activists going to the Constitutional Court will take place on Sunday, 23 February, at 2.30 pm at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town. Tickets are R90 and can be booked at https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1562105665.
The film will screen free of charge at Killarney CineCentre (Johannesburg) on 10 February at 6 pm and at the District 6 Museum (Cape Town) on 11 February at 2 pm. (Booking is essential for both these screenings and can be done by emailing contact@mothercitydocumentary.com for the RSVP details.)
The film is reaching audiences at film festivals across the globe, screening at the prestigious 48th Göteborg Film Festival (Sweden) at the end of January, the 29th Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in February (Burkina Faso), and the 7th Joburg Film Festival (Johannesburg) in March. It has already been awarded at Sheffield DocFest in the UK, the Encounters SA International Documentary Festival, and won the Best Documentary Award at the African International Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria.