On Trackers

From diamond smuggling and rhino poaching to CIA conspiracies – we hear from key people who helped bring this gripping SA story to life...

- Stephanie Van Der Plank

‘I’m so proud to see it come to life on screen’

Author Deon Meyer has penned 12 novels, and is show creator and co-producer on Trackers. He lives in Cape Town with his wife Anita. He says...

“I run a production company with two friends, and it was our idea to produce Trackers as a TV series. We approached international production partners in 2016, eventually teaming up with a UK-based company. I wanted to be very hands-on with this project, and my primary focus was developing the script. I worked with lead writer Robert Thorogood [known for Death in Paradise], and loads of talented local writers to get the bones of the story done. Condensing an entire novel into a few hours of TV is tricky. You don’t want to disappoint those who loved the book, but you need to make it work on screen. And you have to be aware of budget, which I never really consider as an author. My main hope was to retain the spirit of the story and the personality of the characters, which I’m confident we managed.

It’s a magical thing to see your work come to life on screen. So many people, from the director and the cast to the cameramen, add something to the end product, making it even more impressive than I imagined.

I’m not at all nervous to see it on TV. I’m just so damn proud.”

‘My character goes from being an abused housewife to a gun-toting hero’

Actress Rolanda Marais, who lives in Cape Town with her husband and daughter, plays Mila Strachan. She says...