by Thinus Ferreira
Four years after announcing it in May 2018 and languishing in a seemingly protracted pre-production doldrum, filming has finally started on MultiChoice and Bomb Productions' TV drama series Shaka Ilembe in South Africa's Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, with Lemogang Tsipa who will portray the adult king and newcomer Ntando Zondi as the boy Zulu warrior boy.
Besides Lemogang Tsipa, Nomzamo Mbatha will play Queen Nandi, Shaka's mother with Nomzamo who is also an executive producer of Shaka Ilembe.
Years after announcing Shaka Ilembe but struggling to move forward with filming of the project, MultiChoice and Bomb Productions are now finally filming scenes of the series on which work had already started two years before MultiChoice and M-Net publicly announced it in May 2018.
The production has consulted historians, academics and family descendants, including the late King Goodwill Zwelithini and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
So far Shaka Ilembe has provided work for 8 000 people, MultiChoice said on Wednesday of the series which will debut in 2023.
While Shaka Ilembe was initially earmarked for linear playout on M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel, it's likely that the show has now been shifted to M-Net's 1Magic (DStv 103) channel to go to DStv Premium subscribers first.
The Shaka Ilembe cast also includes Thembinkosi Mthembu as King Dingisway and Wiseman Mncube as King Zwide.
Angus Gibson, Bomb Productions creative director, says "It is magical witnessing these performers bring life to characters we only know from the history books. When the cast arrive on set, fully dressed in wardrobe and hair from the period, I am blown away."
Lemogang Tsipa
Nomzamo Mbatha
Thembinkosi Mthembu
Senzo Radebe
"Being able to bring this important story to the screen with such stellar talent speaks to the heart of MultiChoice's ongoing commitment and investment in our local entertainment industry," said Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video, in a prepared statement on Wednesday.
"We are committed to telling great African stories and this is a proudly African series told through the lens of Africans for the very first time."
"We want people to learn about our history and culture, but we also want to keep viewers glued in anticipation. This drama seeks to uncover nuggets of history, but creates narrative in the gaps by putting known characters alongside fictional characters in order to keep the story moving."
In the statement, Nomzamo Mbatha says "I am honoured to bring the giant that is Queen Nandi to life. History will remember those who informed its people of where we come from, to better understand who we are. I am fortunate to be part of a project that is much bigger than ourselves and to tell this story in our own language".
Nhlanhla Mtaka, an executive and cultural advisor on the series, says "This is our appointment with history; we want to capture the authenticity and deepen the understanding of this era".