M-Net premieres Invisible, an eight-part thriller adapted from Deon Meyer’s 2007 novel Onsigbaar, published in English as Blood Safari, tonight at 20:00 on DStv channel 101. Directed by Jozua Malherbe, the series was filmed around Hoedspruit and the Kruger National Park border, bringing the South African literary property to the screen through a major scripted production.
The cast includes Frank Rautenbach, Tumisho Masha, Kim Engelbrecht, Abbie Cornish and Dougray Scott, with Tim Theron serving as co-producer while portraying Martin Dekker. Meyer has described the production as a substantial undertaking, reflecting the scale of the adaptation.
Beyond its premiere, Invisible highlights a production model that African broadcasters increasingly seek to develop: adapting established local literary properties into premium scripted series with international co-production partners. Delivering an eight-episode production requires coordinated investment, production capacity and collaboration across creative and commercial teams.
The adaptation also reworks elements of the original novel, replacing its Samora Machel storyline with a new character. This positions the series as a creative reinterpretation rather than a direct transfer from page to screen.
Previously promoted during 2025 and at the Silwerskerm festival, Invisible now moves from production and publicity into broadcast distribution. Its premiere provides a timely example of how local literary works can be developed into television drama, with implications for South African content production and the wider African scripted entertainment market.
