Vuyo Dabula to star in local mining thriller film

Generations: The Legacy actor Vuyo Dabula is set to add to his film career with a lead role in a local mining thriller, Shaft 6 set to hit cinemas next year.

Vuyo, who recently starred in South Africa's first western film, Five Fingers for Marseilles, will play the role of a policeman called to a small mining town after the discovery of a dead body in a mining shaft sparks an uprising among  miners. Vuyo and his colleague (played by Paul du Toit) investigate and try to diffuse the situation. 

The film also stars Anriette Van Rooyen, Vincent Mahlangu and Deon Lotz.

The film's director and producer, Delon Bakker told TshisaLIVE that the film was centered around the years after Apartheid and questioned whether there has been much change since democracy. 

He said that despite the themes of the film, it had not been consciously inspired by the Marikana massacre in 2012.

"It is not about Marikana. Unfortunately you put miners and policemen in a story and the natural assumption is that it is about Marikana. Maybe subconsciously there are parallels but these were not intentional. The intentional parallels were those between the town and post-Apartheid South Africa."

Delon paid tribute to Vuyo and said that he fitted the role to the tee. 

"He is an incredible actor and from the moment we saw his audition we knew that he was the one we wanted for the role. He had such a strong presence that very few other actors have and immediately drew us in. He has taken to the film really well."

Although Vuyo was not available for comment, his management said that the star was excited by the project and the challenges his role brought. 

"He is extremely excited to be part of the film and has loved his time filming on it. He was thrilled with the opportunity to play such a challenging role and has been working  hard. He is embracing the challenge," Wesley Mark Gainer told TshisaLIVE.

The film is set to finish production early next year and will be presented to several international film festivals for possible screening ahead of its local box office release in September.