Before Shaka was king, he was the son of a woman his father’s people rejected. Shaka iLembe, the South African drama that premiered on Mzansi Magic on 18 June 2023, tells the story of the Zulu ruler through his childhood, his mother Nandi and the long road to power.
The history
Shaka kaSenzangakhona became king of the Zulu in the early nineteenth century and built them into one of the most powerful states in southern Africa. His reign transformed warfare and politics in the region. His life has been told many times, often through colonial accounts that portrayed him as a tyrant.
Nandi
The series places Nandi, Shaka’s mother, at the centre. Nomzamo Mbatha, a South African actress who has worked in Hollywood, plays Queen Nandi and is also an executive producer. Her portrayal shows a woman who survives rejection and exile to raise a king.
The cast
Lemogang Tsipa plays the adult Shaka. Thembinkosi Mthembu plays King Dingiswayo, the ruler of the Mthethwa who mentored Shaka. The large cast includes many leading South African actors.
Bomb Productions
The series was produced by Bomb Productions, the company behind several successful South African dramas. It was one of the most expensive productions in South African television history, with large sets, costumes and battle scenes.
Record viewers
Showmax reported that the first episode reached more than 3.6 million viewers in South Africa, a record for a drama series on DStv. The season ran until September 2023 and was then released for streaming on Showmax in December.
Telling it from inside
The creators aimed to tell Shaka’s story from a Zulu perspective, using isiZulu and drawing on oral history. That approach differs from older films and series made by outsiders.
Comparisons
Viewers often compared the series to the 1986 South African series Shaka Zulu, which starred Henry Cele. Shaka iLembe was praised for its fresh look and its attention to women’s roles.
A big-budget bet
South African television drama has a long history, but Shaka iLembe was produced on a scale usually associated with international streaming series. Its success suggested that African audiences would support expensive, locally made historical dramas, and that such series could compete with imported content. The production also employed large numbers of actors, crew and extras, adding to its significance for the local industry.
Shaka has been portrayed as a hero, a monster and a myth. Shaka iLembe starts somewhere simpler: with a mother and a boy, and the reasons he became the man history remembers.
