- The short documentary 31 Chatham Street follows Soraya Martheze’s return to Dry Dock, District Six, 59 years after it was declared a white zone under the Group Areas Act.
- Produced by the District Six Museum’s oral-history program, the film captures Martheze’s emotional journey and explores the cultural significance of the area.
- The District Six Museum held its annual cairn memorial on 11 February to honor the community’s history of forced removals and celebrate the resilience of displaced families.
A new short documentary film entitled 31 Chatham Street, about the experiences of Soraya Martheze, depicts life in Dry Dock, District Six.
It was launched on Tuesday 11 February, the 59th anniversary of the declaration of District Six as a white area under the Group Areas Act.
The film follows Soraya as she revisits her old neighbourhood and experiences living in District Six again as the outcome of land restitution.
The film was produced by the Vuselela Ons Luister, an oral-history programme run by the District Six Museum.
Speaking to People’s Post, Martheze (67) explained that she had left the area as an 11-year-old, even though her father continued to live there.
“I saw the area go from fully populated to completely demolished when I was young. I returned in my 60s and didn’t think I would get all emotional about it until the day I turned the key of the front door of my new home. I am glad to be back, even though there are challenges.”
Martheze returned to the area in May 2022.
“There are so many stories of District Six, but nothing about Dry Dock, which had lots of prominent people. I don’t want Dry Dock to be forgotten. I want the generations to come to see the film and not take things for granted. I want people like my son to appreciate where they come from.
“I agreed to tell my story because my son encouraged me. Sadly, none of the street names of Dry Dock have been saved.”
Martheze said, 59 years later, emotions are still raw.
“One still feels hurt; one tries not to focus on the negative, but there are times when one can’t.”
Chrischene Julius, director of the District Six Museum, said the purpose of this film is to keep the stories of the families alive.
“For the past three years, a young team of oral historians have been recording people’s life histories. We are trying to collect the stories of District Six and what it was like to live under apartheid.”
For many families 11 February is a stark reminder of pain and devastation. This marked the beginning of the end for so many in the area, when the lives of thousands were crushed as they helplessly watched their homes being flattened by bulldozers.
More than 60 000 people were forcibly removed to sub-housing areas, specially created for them on the desolate Cape Flats.
To mark the fateful declaration, the museum held its annual cairn memorial at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT) Hanover Residence in District Six on Tuesday on what was originally Hanover Street.
Julius said for more than three decades the cairn has been a site for marking the declaration of the area. Here former residents and families gather, each person carrying a stone from the area removed from, or the area they moved to, to lay at the cairn.
“Since the 1980s, people have been returning to the site on 11 February and placing a stone. People have sad memories of grandparents being carried out on chairs because they refused to leave.
“It is a day for remembering that the District Six story is about the food we ate, the community, the music and the traditions. But we must remember it was a dark period for people. We just want to make this connection between District Six and other communities that experienced the same.”
