Spoorloos: Steynhof – secrets and suspense kicks off tonight’s new season

A third season of the Spoorloos series is kicking off tonight and it is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The series comes from the same producers who brought the action-packed series, Lioness to M-Net. The third season, Spoorloos: Steynhof, is about a baby that disappeared from a farm in the Northern Cape 15 years ago.

Two people were found dead and there was no trace of either the baby or her carer. Set on the Steynhof farm 15 years after these events, the mystery of what happened that night unfolds, answering questions about who was murdered, by whom and why the baby was abducted.

According to Ilse van Hemert of Ochre Pictures, the producer of the series, all the Spoorloos seasons have the same structure with a secret from the past being the reason for the drama unfolding. All the seasons are set in the platteland, with the exception of this third season which is set on Steynhof farm.

Toorbos actor Stiaan Smith plays the role of Daniël Steyn, a farmer in the Northern Cape. It is his brother and sister-in-law who were murdered 15 years ago and their baby daughter abducted. Daniël is now running the farm and is still looking for his brother’s child.

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“Everyone likes complex characters,” says Smith. He says Spoorloos: Steynhof is a rich story, which made acting so challenging at times. “It was a role that stretched me.”

He says he often had to do introspection and had to work through personal and emotional aspects within himself in order to understand what Daniël is going through.

He says it was fun shooting Spoorloos and he enjoyed being part of the cast. “Christo Davids is a wonderful energy to share a set with,” he says. “He knows exactly what he wants, so it was a very effective set. Still, there was room for discussion in spite of the high speed we worked at.”

Smith says people often underestimate the value of text and Spoorloos’ script quality was one thing that stood out for him. “You can’t shoot a good story from bad text.”

Another thing that stood out for him was the efficiency of the team and quality of the actors he worked with. The cast includes names like Jane de Wet, Brent Vermeulen, Diaan Lawrenson, Arno Marais, Eloise Clasen, Vinette Ebrahim, Ivan D Lucas, Wayne van Rooyen, Franci Swanepoel and Kim Cloete.

Spoorloos fans can look forward to a season of suspense. They will fall in love with the characters and take the journey with them – hoping and wishing for certain things to happen. Van Hemert says: “It’s a story full of sadness, anguish and happiness and it will again, like with the previous seasons, keep viewers guessing to the end as to who the villain is.”

Actor and director Christo Davids is the head writer and director. He says: “This season has the same DNA as the previous seasons, but this time, land, inheritance and birthright comes to play. Sometimes people do the unthinkable to get what they believe is rightfully theirs.”

He says the saying “the truth will set you free” is not necessarily true when it comes to the story line.

Spoorloos: Steynhof starts on Tuesday, 6 July at 8pm on kykNET (DStv channel 144). There are eight episodes in the series.