Last week, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) hosted an intimate screening of the new documentary Mathonga Elizwe – Spirits of the Land by Uhuru Productions at the Forge in Braamfontein. The documentary examines the experiences of land claimants and labour tenants, narrating the ongoing struggles of Black families living on white-owned land, including instances of harassment and violence. The film offers a critical reflection on South Africa’s land reform project at a time when the country marks 30 years of democracy.
The film draws on three land claims in Hilton and Koubad in KwaZulu-Natal and Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga respectively. It details how the families depicted in the film lost their land due to forced removals as recently as 1995, resulting in them becoming landless labour tenants. The film shows how land dispossession disrupted thriving agricultural practices, and forced many to live with strict restrictions on livestock keeping and burial practices.
The screening was followed by a discussion with the film’s director Tsogo Kupa, producer and narrator in the film Dr Mnqobi Ngubane, and one of the land claimants, Mr Mlungisi Nkambule. Mr Nkambule reflected on his challenging upbringing in Wakkerstroom and detailed several instances of harassment and violence experienced at the hands of the landowner because of his land claim. The most recent incident occurred in September 2024, in the presence of the national Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Land and Rural Development. He discussed how the landowner curtails his freedoms and how the justice system in Wakkerstroom has failed him and his family.
SERI commends Mathonga Elizwe for shedding light on the issue of land claims, the history that underpins dispossession and how these challenges persist. The film powerfully illustrates the intersection between land, poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
We are of the view that the film is deserving of a wider audience due to its relevance and important messages. The film team has expressed that they welcome screening invitations. For example, the Association for Rural Advancement (AFRA) will host a screening as part of a two-day workshop for labour tenants it works with on 27 November 2024. Several other international screenings are scheduled for the rest of the year in Brazil, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The trailer for Mathonga Elizwe can be accessed here.
Contact details:
- Dr. Mnqobi Ngubane, producer: ngubanemnqobi[at]gmail.com.
- Nomzamo Zondo, SERI executive director: Nomzamo[at]seri-sa.org / 071 301 9676.
- Download the statement here.