More than two years after the documentary Mother City debuted in South Africa, the movie is opening commercially in cinemas nationwide for the first time.
Ster-Kinekor began limited screenings across the country yesterday (1 October 2026). The film is also available to rent on Kinema, an online streaming platform, in selected regions.
The documentary follows members of Cape Town housing movement Reclaim the City as they confront the lasting effects of apartheid-era spatial planning and campaign for affordable housing. The trailer features clips of the activists, protests and confrontations at the centre of the story.
Miki Redelinghuys and Pearlie Joubert directed Mother City, which premiered internationally at Sheffield DocFest in the United Kingdom in June 2024. Later that month, the documentary made an African premiere as the opening film of the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival.
Reclaim the City campaigns over the use of state-owned land and has occupied disused state properties to provide homes. The filmmakers describe the idea behind the campaign as “land for people; not for profit”, while the documentary follows activists lobbying for housing closer to employment, education and other parts of city life.
Nkosikhona Swartbooi, a Reclaim the City activist and community organiser, narrates the documentary. The story follows Swartbooi and other campaigners through protests, court battles and engagements with politicians and property interests. Their search for possible answers also takes them to Barcelona to examine how the Spanish city has approached its housing crisis.
The filmmakers make the documentary’s campaigning purpose explicit. They describe Mother City as both a film and a tool for activism, intended to provoke debate about housing and influence how officials, planners, developers and other groups approach the issue. Its continuing impact campaign supports people living in occupied buildings and encourages organisations and communities to host screenings.
Redelinghuys and Joubert both served camera operators and producers, with Kethiwe Ngcobo producing and Khalid Shamis editing. Barry Donnelly, whose credits include Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher, handled sound design.
* Visit the ‘Mother City’ website here.
* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.