WATCH: District Six documentary well received – hope for change

The successful screening of a District Six documentary detailing the personal story of a female Muslim film-maker has revived hopes of a tangible change for District Six.

After a sold-out screening of their work in progress at Cape Town International Film Market and Festival 2017, film-maker Weaam Williams and her cinematographer husband Nafia Kocks hosted the first public screening of their film, District Six Rising From the Dust, in collaboration with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) at the weekend.

“It was about bridging the gap between the D6 community and CPUT, the dominant landowner in D6. We hope this will be the start of many conversations that will spur on tangible and concrete change in D6 and the restitution process moving forward,” Williams said.

The couple have spent the past five years working on the documentary, after moving into a house that was restituted to her family in 2013.

The film looks at the gross human rights violations of forced removals that took place under the Group Areas Act during apartheid, and examines the current restitution process.

Williams said more public screenings would be scheduled.

She said District Six for many decades remained an open sore, with CPUT as the dominant ­institution in the neighbourhood.

The university owns 51% of the land where about 60000 residents were removed during the 1960s, when the area was named a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act.

Williams, who still does not own a title deed after being restituted, delved into investigative journalism with her documentary, interviewing various authorities on the issues of land reform and restitution.

“The film takes on a personal narrative, as a microcosm within a macrocosm, and lays out the various role-players in this highly contested space. With upmarket housing developments fringing on the neighbourhood, the chances of feasible restitution look bleak.

“CPUT owns approximately two thirds of the land in District Six, and is the majority title deed holder.

“Having recently renamed the Cape Town campus District Six Campus, it is imperative that the name change becomes symbolic of a mutual understanding and respect for what is required to build a liveable neighbourhood, and a commitment to restitution,” Williams said.