Shaka Zulu: Behind the scenes with the Shaka Ilembe cast

After a groundbreaking first season that captivated audiences across Africa, the epic story of South African series Shaka Ilembe continues with the upcoming second season charting the next chapter in Shaka’s rise to power.

With its rich visuals, excellent performances, respectful authenticity and outstanding entertainment, season one showcased the origins of the legendary African king culminating in a victorious Shaka returning to take the Zulu throne.

Season two picks up the story as he begins his long-prophesied reign. The award-winning series which secured 12 South African Film and Television awards (SAFTA), brings back Lemogang Tsipa as the formidable Shaka and Thembinkosi Mthembu, whose SAFTA-winning performance as Dingiswayo was a standout.

Joining them is Nomzamo Mbatha, whose portrayal of Nandi earned her the Best African Actress award at the 2024 Septimius awards. Returning cast members include Wiseman Mncube as the ruthless Zwide, Dawn Thandeka King as the commanding Mkabayi, Khabonina Qubeka as the power-driven Ntombazi and Mondli Makhoba as the steadfast Ngomane.

During a media junket, The Observer got an opportunity to interact with the cast and production team of the series for insights about what fans should expect.

WHAT FANS SHOULD EXPECT

Desiree Markgraaff, the executive producer of the show, revealed that season two picks up where the first left off; Shaka’s return to the Zulu Kingdom as its rightful king. According to Markgraaff, in season two, the story is much more about Shaka the man; strategist, warrior, and a king with big dreams.

His relationship with people changes quite substantially in the second season as he fills into his power.

“We have got a lot of very exciting new cast and characters. For the Ndwandwes, we introduce Zidwe’s sons because according to history, he had more than seven sons but in the series we introduce five of them and we zoom in and focus on two of the sons.”

NOMZAMO MBATHA

A South African powerhouse, Nomzamo Mbatha is back as Nandi, Shaka’s mother. She had to overcome many obstacles and humiliations when Shaka was born. But her unwavering belief in her son is finally rewarded in Season 2 as she becomes Queen Mother.

Having guided her son to greatness, she must now navigate the complexities of court politics to protect Shaka’s vision and secure his dream of building the most powerful kingdom.

For Mbatha, playing Nandi has been a career- defining honor as she has always been inspired by this historic figure.

“I wanted to be part of a story that is true and authentic to history and language. I am a person who believes in the preservation of language and culture … it felt like a responsibility and something I would love to have in my slate of career and say that I did something that honored my culture, heritage and history,” Mbatha said.

LEMOGANG TSIPA

Tsipa comes back to play Shaka. Once an outcast, he is now the Zulu king and his first quest as king is to unite and build his people. Shaka is a shrewd thinker and he surprises both his detractors and supporters while navigating political intrigue, betrayal and the expectations of leadership.

Tsipa said his journey in season 2 is defined by his ambition and vision to build a nation like no other. The devastating loss of a loved one propels him towards his dream and sees him earn the title, king of kings.

“It is a privilege to do this job and to be able to secure roles but to be bestowed with the opportunity to play such a great king is a very humbling moment and I am glad I was able to be a small part of history,” he said.

The role of Shaka has been played by many other actors; notable among them the late Henry Cele in 1986 in the TV miniseries Shaka Zulu and in 2001 for the movie Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior.

Tsipa said even though his first visual encounter with Shaka was through Cele’s performance, he tries not to make his performance a version of Cele’s.

“I had to find my own identity and I think also our approach to the story is a little bit different. In Cele’s version, it was a lot of masculinity and not showing any signs of weakness and vulnerability. But our version portrays a different Shaka; he has got the tough side but also audiences get to peel beneath the layers and see what makes him emotional,” Tsipa told The Observer.

DAWN THANDEKA KING

King plays the role of Mkabayi KaJama, a revered princess and kingmaker of the Zulu who wields significant influence behind the scenes. She can be a voice of reason and foresight, as well as a fierce military strategist.

Her focus is ensuring stability and continuity within the Zulu kingdom. She says, this season, her character is very different from where it was in season one since in the latter, she was in charge of the throne by making sure that Shaka is the one who would be groomed to eventually sit on it but in season two, Shaka is on the throne and so, she plays a supportive role.

“She allows herself to be led by Shaka but makes sure that whatever he does is true to the throne. I enjoyed myself bringing this character to life this season because most of the work was in the first season; so, the second season was merely just continuing from the work that I had done in season one,” she said.

MONDLI MAKHOBA

Makhoba returns as Ngomane, a revered Mthethwa general who is loyal to Dingiswayo but also impressed and intrigued by Shaka. Dingiswayo sends him to protect Shaka when he takes the Zulu kingship and he rises to be Shaka’s prime minister and most loyal right hand.

He noted that if he were to switch roles with any other character in the series, it would be with Dingiswayo because he loved his journey in the first season.

“It gives you a lot to play with as an actor because we saw him as a son, king and as a mentor. So, I would love to go through those motions and stages.”

THEMBINKOSI MTHEMBU

Mthembu portrays the great Mthethwa king, Dingiswayo who dreams of uniting the Nguni people and ensuring peace. A mentor and father figure to Shaka, his wisdom guides Shaka’s rise and fuels his military strategy.

In Season 2, Dingiswayo faces a set of devastating betrayals that will affect everything he has built and holds dear. Mthembu said that coming into season two, he had two options, the first one being coming in and trying to do more which he thinks was going to kill his role in terms of performance and story arc and so he decided to trust the script and just flow with the story.

“Coming into season two, I didn’t want to put so much pressure on myself. I am still serving the story and who Dingiswayo the character is,” Mthembu noted.

NEW CAST MEMBERS

The second season will also introduce new characters and territories expanding the story beyond the Zulu kingdom, taking viewers from the majestic mountains of the Swati kingdom to the rolling hills of the Xhosa.

One of the new actors is Zamani Mbatha who plays Zwide’s beloved son Nomahlanjana; a fierce warrior with an insatiable hunger to be his father’s chosen one. Zamani said joining the cast of Shaka Ilembe has been a great honour and he was super excited to be part of it because luckily, the bar had already been set in season one.

Another new cast is Anele Sphamandla Nene who plays Sikhunyana, a younger son of Zwide who unlike his brother Nomahlanjana, seeks peace, believes in diplomacy, reason and honour and often finds himself in opposition with his brother. His loyalty to family is tested when duty clashes with matters of the heart.

“One of the main pressures of working with the greats would be hoping not to drop the ball because once you get on set, you see how much these people are invested in their craft; so, you can’t join in and be mediocre about it,” he said.

Also stepping into her first role on TV is Sikhanyiso Sithole who embodies the role of Hletjiwe, a radiant Ngwane princess. She is very gentle and demure and finds herself married to a Ndwandwe prince as part of a political alliance.

But the tragedy is that it is not the prince she has fallen in love with. Despite her desire to be dutiful, she finds herself entangled in a complicated web of loyalty and love. Coming from Eswatini, Sithole said she found the mastering of a different language a bit challenging but her co- stars helped a lot, eventually making her character shine.

Other cast members will include Luyanda Zuma as Liyana, a graceful yet feisty independent-minded maiden who serves under Queen Mother Mthaniya; Sthandiwe Kgoroge as Mthaniya, the noble and wise Queen Mother, grandmother to Shaka; and Amanda Seome as Zwide’s daughter, Ntombazana who is fiercely determined to be as useful to the Ndwandwe as her brothers and becomes a master of manipulation.

The series is produced by Bomb Shelter Productions, and season two will premiere on June 15 on Pearl Magic Prime.

jjingoernest1@gmail.com

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