By Thirosha PillayThe action-packed series Strike Back follows a top-secret anti-terrorist organization known as Section 20, as they set out to capture an international extremist named Latif in order to thwart his wicked plans for nuclear mayhem.
With all the globe-trotting the team does, Strike Back’s producers were keen to film somewhere that could easily fill in for as many different destinations as possible.
They soon settled on South Africa, where Durban in particular provided the perfect filming platform on which to tell the story of the hit show, due to its picturesque surroundings and its culturally diverse communities.
Scenes that were actually filmed in Durban’s CBD,were made to look like they were taking place in Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and Pakistan.
Langa in Cape Town, meanwhile, has given the world any number of celebrities – from music legend Brenda Fassie and Bafana captain Thabo Mngomeni, to boxer Nika Khumalo and Proteas wicket-keeper Thami Tsolekile.
But when Strike Back came to town, many more locals got their own 15 minutes of fame when they were cast as extras in scenes that saw explosions, gun battles and thrilling car chases through one of the largest and oldest informal settlements in South Africa.
Cape Town was also used as a “cheat” location. The New Delhi hotel in the first two episodes was actually a building in Cape Town, and Hout Bay was made to look like Mozambique.
The series ran on a lavish multimillion-rand budget and no cost was spared in conceptualising and carrying out extravagant stunts on Long Street and the N2. The crew even had to undergo vigorous military training in order to be able to pull off the stunts.
The third season of the show is also filmed in Cape Town.
Strike Back Project Dawn Episode 3 Clip: Cape Town Chase
Be sure to catch all the nail-biting action and suspense in Strike Back on Friday, 15 June at 21:30 on M-Net.
