A documentary revisiting the 2018 Hermanus unrest is facing a legal challenge from Land Party leader Gcobani Ndzongana, who says he was misled about AfriForum’s involvement and has withdrawn permission for his interview to be used.
Ndzongana’s formal notice, sent to filmmaker Joe Emilio of Deep Focus Media on 20 October 2026, demands that his interview, image, voice and related contributions be excluded from Stolen Ground: The Hermanus Story. The film is scheduled to premiere on 29 October at the AfriForum Teater in Pretoria.
Dispute over disclosure
Ndzongana said he agreed to participate only on the understanding that any relationship between the production and AfriForum would be disclosed. He said his opposition to the organisation was known before the interview took place, and that he would not have taken part had he been aware that AfriForum was funding the project.
“I was coerced and lied to,” Ndzongana said, adding that he had made his opposition to AfriForum clear before the interview.
He has accused the filmmaker of acting in bad faith and said he would consider legal action if his material appeared in the documentary or in related productions. Ndzongana has, however, confirmed that he would not seek an urgent interdict to prevent the film’s release.
The dispute has revived tensions around a set of events that remain politically sensitive in Hermanus. The documentary examines the Schulphoek land occupation, allegations concerning the destruction of a protected milkwood forest and the decisions that followed the unrest. The 2018 protests affected Zwelihle and the wider Hermanus community, with residents demanding housing and municipal services. Vacant land was occupied, clashes with police followed and a satellite police station was set alight.
What is being disputed
- Ndzongana’s position: he says his consent was obtained without full disclosure of AfriForum’s involvement.
- AfriForum’s position: the organisation says it sponsored the production but did not make the film.
- The immediate issue: whether Ndzongana’s interview and other recorded material will be included.
AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel rejected the suggestion that the Land Party had grounds to stop the documentary. He said AfriForum was merely sponsoring the production and that the film was not an AfriForum production. That distinction is central to the dispute, as the filmmaker’s company, Deep Focus Media, is identified as the producer while AfriForum is expected to host the premiere.
| Documentary | Stolen Ground: The Hermanus Story |
|---|---|
| Producer | Joe Emilio’s Deep Focus Media |
| Premiere | 29 October 2026, AfriForum Teater, Pretoria |
| Disputed contribution | Gcobani Ndzongana’s interview and related material |
Ndzongana has also claimed that AfriForum previously sought to have him assassinated during the 2018 unrest. That allegation was included in his account of why the organisation’s involvement was material to his decision to participate. The available responses do not establish the truth of that claim, and no further detail about it is provided in the reporting.
A contested account of Hermanus
The film’s release is likely to place competing interpretations of the unrest back into public view. For residents of Hermanus, the events involved more than a political dispute: they were tied to access to land, housing pressure, public services, policing and the protection of environmentally sensitive areas. Those issues have continued to shape debate in the town and surrounding communities.
The documentary’s handling of Ndzongana’s contribution will now be watched alongside its account of the land occupation and the destruction allegations. Whether his material remains in the final film, and whether he pursues legal remedies afterwards, has not been confirmed. The production is nevertheless set to proceed, with the disagreement exposing the unresolved political fault lines surrounding one of Hermanus’s most consequential episodes of the past decade.
