Tshedza Pictures’ Phathutshedzo Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon have created a brand-new Showmax drama series, Outlaws which portrays how communities are terrorised by cattle thieves.
Makwarela said cattle theft is a major issue in South Africa which is something that crops up in news reports from time to time, but it’s not something that’s ever been reflected in popular culture.
“It’s like there’s a war going on that nobody is talking about. It is such a rich and dramatic backdrop for a story.”
Beynon added that so many South African stories on television take place in urban areas and they felt like rural life is seldom portrayed on screen.
“Outlaws really take us to the farms, to the fields, and to the mountains of South Africa and Lesotho. So many South Africans have a connection to these landscapes, we wanted to create a show that celebrates them,” said Beynon.
The scriptwriting pair said there were some exciting and challenging aspects of the shoot locations.
Beynon said when they went to Bergville they realized how incredible the landscape was. They had to shoot as much of the show in these locations as they could.
Phathu added that one of the challenges was the rain which was non-stop. This meant that getting to some of the locations was difficult.
“Our creative producer Mmamitse Thibedi would wake up before dawn to go to the river to make offerings to the water spirits, to ask for clear weather which sometimes worked. But trying to get our cast and crew into these remote locations after a heavy rain was sometimes hectic. Watching the final product, we feel like it was worth all the struggles we faced,” said Makwarela.
They had to do their research before writing so they had to travel to Bergville and Lesotho and meet with cattle farmers, cattle rustlers, historians, and others affected by cattle theft in the area.
“It was important for us that we identified new faces and also paired them with experienced hands. The majority of our Sotho actors are from Lesotho, which was hugely important to us so that they would get the nuances of culture and language right so that the show would feel truly authentic, said Makwarela.
They have written The River, The Republic, and Adulting and they say they have focused on strong female characters as the leads.
“It’s something we’re very proud of, and strong female characters will always play a major role in our work.”
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