PUSH-The Film exposed the global pattern: cities have become the domain of the wealthy or at least a deposit box for their wealth – and everyday people are being pushed out. Nowhere is this more true than in South Africa, named by Time Magazine as one of the world’s most unequal places on earth. In this episode the Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by Mandisa Shandu, lawyer and activist with Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), a Cape Town-based non-profit activist organisation focused on land justice.
Mandisa discusses the ongoing legacy of apartheid and the Group Areas Act that currently grips Cape Town. Poor and black populations have been forced to live on the worst lands, on the periphery of the city. In response, NU has been promoting the use of public lands within the city to undo this spatial apartheid. Mandisa describes the bold Constitutional litigation they launched against the city and provincial government to keep them from selling off public lands to private actors. The Tafelberg decision was a huge victory, and offers inspiration to the world - demonstrating the potential power of the Constitutional right to housing.
More recently NU has had their eye on golf courses in Cape Town which - located in the heart of the city - use huge tracts of land, pay little land taxes, and are only enjoyed by the most affluent, mainly whites, and tourists. As it happens, neither Leilani nor Fredrik like golf so they are quick to decide how the right to play golf in a city measures up against human rights. Those who love the sport, and those who love to hate, it will be entertained!
Ndifuna Ukwazi is a very cool organization, made up of lots of young advocates. Check out their work by following them on twitter and facebook @NdifunaUkwazi and impress your friends by learning more about the Tafelberg decisions here.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded by Mikey Jones
Edited by Hanna Leander
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Maja Moberg, Valerie Estrina, Hanna Leander