Stolen Ground: New film unpacks land grabs and fall of Tygerberg Raceway

SK

Sara-Jayne Makwala King

7 August 2025 | 10:22

A new doccie explores how a once-thriving racetrack became the centre of one of Cape Town’s most controversial land invasions.

Stolen Ground: New film unpacks land grabs and fall of Tygerberg Raceway

CapeTalk's Clarence Ford is joined by content creator Joe Emilio to talk about 'Stolen Ground', a new documentary about the land grabs at Tygerberg Raceway.

Listen below:

For decades, Tygerberg Raceway was more than just a racetrack; it was a major connector for dicing, dragging and street-racing culture.   

But now it has fallen into disrepair and chaos, and is said to be one of the most controversial land invasions in Cape Town’s recent history.

In his debut film documentary 'Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Racetrack Story', content creator, comedian and now filmmaker Joe Emilio uncovers what happened.

He says it's time to shine a light on 'the silent epidemic of land grabs spreading across South Africa'.

Much of the film focuses on the PIE Act (Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act).

Emilio says the Act is poorly written and has allowed for 'sinister people' to take advantage of the legislation.

"For example, the word 'home' is not clearly defined, and this opens up the ability for shack farmers, for gangsters, to abuse that definition."
Joe Emilio, Director - Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Raceway Story

Emilio says the Tygerberg Raceway is a particular example, adding that the fact that the invasion happened during the COVID-19 pandemic adds another layer of nuance.

"During the time of Covid and lockdown, the courts were not allowed to process evictions... so the City tried to get an interdict because they were invading the racecourse."
- Joe Emilio, Director - Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Raceway Story

But then, says Emilio, the SA Human Rights Commission stepped in, blocking the interdict, and the invasion continued.

"They literally destroyed everything on that racetrack, levelled it to the ground, and there is not much the previous owner could do."
- Joe Emilio, Director - Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Raceway Story

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Joe Emilio talking about his debut documentary.

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