The team behind hit kykNET shows like Die Boekklub, Troukoors, and Fynskrif return with a gripping new drama.

Fraksie, by writers and producers Louis Pretorius and Albert Snyman, asks how far one man will go to get what he wants.

The series, which premieres on 13 September at 20:00 on kykNET (144), stars Edwin van der Walt in the lead role as Schalk Smith – an investment manager who dreams of becoming a dollar millionaire.

Schalk is married to Nina (Roeline Daneel) whose mother, Deidré (Hélène Truter), comes from old money. Nina’s father, Willem (André Jacobs), is an oncologist and her sister, Bianca (Daneel van der Walt), is an anaesthetist.

Zac (Alex van Dyk) and Mari (Jana Malan) are Schalk and Nina’s teenage children.

Tim (Marlo Minnaar) is a computer science lecturer in Pretoria and recently married Chantel (Crystal Donna Roberts). In his free time he developed QPI (Quick Payment Interface) and he is looking for an investor.

“Schalk knows what he wants and he’s efficient. Success is what drives him and he’s willing to do anything to win. Losing isn’t an option,” Van der Walt told News24 about his character.

“He’s bubbling with optimism and has a constant flow of energy, charm, and passion which seems neverending. But, he also has deep wounds from his past. Sometimes the pain from those wounds drive his decisionmaking.”

Pretorius describes Schalk as an “anti-hero”, saying; “The series is darker than our previous work and there are times that it is difficult to like some of the characters, but I hope that viewers will grow to love them in the end.

“Each of the characters evolved as we developed the series. Apart from the storyline around Schalk, we also look at second chances, children and their relationships with their parents, and the challenges that marriage brings.”

The show, set in Stellenbosch, consist of seventeen episodes. According to Pretorius the episodes will air as a series but is essentially two mini-series; “The first eight episodes show how QPI is built up and the last nine episodes focus on the development of the company and the people involved.”