M-Net declines to give media screeners for season 2 of Bomb Productions' Shaka iLembe on Mzansi Magic, says press can watch it on Sunday nights

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net's publicity division has declined to provide South Africa's media with any screeners of episodes of the new second season of its Shaka iLembe produced by Bomb Productions for its Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) TV channel, saying journalists must watch it on Sunday nights.

M-Net's refusal to provide digital screeners of episodes ahead of time to the press, is in stark contrast to screeners provided on request for its other local content across its M-Net, kykNET and Mzansi Magic TV channels on DStv.

M-Net and Showmax also provide press with screeners for international shows on request through the intermediary screener platforms of Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO and others. 

MultiChoice doesn't have its own proprietary screener platform that safeguards content but allows for content to be viewed securely, by for instance media, with watermarks and other security measures.

M-Net didn't provide a reason for why it doesn't want media to see Shaka iLembe episodes ahead of time and isn't doing screeners.

Portia Hlongwane, Mzansi Magic publicist, says "No screeners have been made available for either Shaka iLembe season 1 or 2. All media covering the episodes are watching them live and sending through requests".

A longtime journalist told TVwithThinus "It's M-Net's loss. Talk about a buzz-kill approach. The excitement to do work about something is gone before it even starts. Do they think I'm going to sit on a Sunday night to watch something to then send requests? Who's too stupid to realise they should tell you ahead of time what's happening or make it available before airing?"

Another writer covering television said "Their lack of even asking who wants a screener or sending out a link signals they probably have no media they actually trust. If you have relationships with journalists and actually know them, why can't you give them a screener to an episode?"

A third journalist noted "It's funny how they want all this coverage for Shaka and think it will happen with no effort but can't even get basics right like a screener or creating an actual media relationship over the course of this season".

MultiChoice sends out its own 'review' for Shaka iLembe that looks like it was done by AI, with its Playmakers PR agency saying Mzansi Magic's second season script 'resists the urge to rush'.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net have sent out a "review", done by itself for its own TV show - and apparently written by artificial intelligence (AI) using effusive, flowery language - saying its second season of Shaka iLembe on Mzansi Magic "draws us into a world of simmering tension".

M-Net didn't respond to media queries about its "review" it sent out through its Playmakers PR agency for the second season of Shaka iLembe on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) produced by Bomb Productions.

M-Net and Playmakers were asked who wrote the "review" but none of the publicists bothered to respond after sending out the "Shaka iLembe season 2, episode 1 review".

Reviews of TV shows are done by TV and media critics, externally, independent of the producer or broadcaster. Nissan doesn't send out a self-written review of one of its own cars. Southern Sun doesn't send out a self-written review of one of its own hotels. 

M-Net and MultiChoice were also asked why a decision was made to send out a review of a TV show, why MultiChoice, Mzansi Magic and Playmakers issued a review about their own work, and whether AI was used in creating the review.

No answers were forthcoming.

Here is the "review", published in full, as received by Playmakers, for M-Net's Mzansi Magic channel.

Note how it looks like it was created by ChatGPT using tired review-language tropes that say and mean nothing:

"Shaka Senzangakhona returns to KwaNobamba in the Season 2 premiere, carrying the fate of a kingdom. Power fills his hands, yet so does doubt.

Episode 1 opens with an extended shot continuing directly from Season 1's finale: Sigidi (King Shaka) and his mother, Queen Nandi, return home. 

Their arrival sparks a mix of excitement, confusion, and resentment. Despite the high stakes, Shaka meets this moment with composed strength, no bravado, just a steady, commanding presence.

Nomzamo Mbatha embodies Queen Nandi with fierce elegance, delivering perhaps her most commanding performance yet. Thembinkosi Mthembu layers Dingiswayo with quiet wisdom, while Dawn Thandeka King returns as the ever-watchful, sharp Mkabayi kaJama, with her useful "iBhobhodlane" (young lover) lingering nearby.

The entire cast moves with assurance, each character aware of the stakes without overplaying them.

The scenic views are stunning. The KwaNobamba landscape is lush and expansive, offering a backdrop that is both grand and intimate.

Interiors glow with warm light, framing characters in spaces that feel lived-in and meaningful. The beauty serves the emotional core rather than distracting from it.

The first episode draws us into a world of simmering tension. Shaka is a reluctant warlord, caught between obligation and caution, surrounded by veiled threats and fractured loyalties. 

His vision seems anchored less in conquest and more in building and unifying—a drive to forge something lasting. Behind him are loyal warriors. 

Beside him are matriarchs like Nandi and Mkabayi, who are never mere observers. In front of him is a kingdom uncertain of its allegiance, watching and waiting.

Old enemies reappear, carrying the weight of past betrayals. Familiar allies return, some holding firm, others hiding intentions behind polite silences. There may be a love interest, or there may not be.

Glances, teasing touches, disrespect, and perhaps flirtation occur, but Shaka remains composed. Relationships are complex; nothing is offered simply. Everyone appears to be playing a longer game.

What makes the episode effective is its restraint. The script resists the urge to rush. There are no long speeches or dramatic outbursts. Power is felt in glances, pauses, and subtle shifts in tone. This quiet confidence gives the story depth and lets tension build without fanfare.

Season 2 sets the stage with precision. 

It establishes conflict, introduces new tensions, and reminds us of the burden Shaka carries, not just as a warrior or king, but as a man. There is promise here, and danger. 

The episode does not shout. It watches, listens, and draws us into a world where power constantly shifts and even the strongest must tread carefully. It remains to be seen whether Shaka will go to war in the second episode, as other parts of the story turn to the Xhosa, the Swati, and the kingdoms of Dingiswayo and Zwide. 

Stay tuned. It is certainly Shaka iLembe Season 2. Sibuye ngegiya eliphezulu nina bakaPhunga noMageba (We are back with a bang). Storytelling doesn’t get better than this!"

Becky Casting owner admits she lured hundreds to kiddie tent camps with fake promises to star as Shaka iLembe extras.

photos: The Devi Show/e.tv

by Thinus Ferreira

Casting agent Becky Dube who plunged production of MultiChoice and South Africa's most expensive TV show into scandal admits that she lured hundreds of people from across the country to horrific kiddie tent camps with fake promises of getting roles as Shaka iLembe extras.

Devi Sankaree Govender of The Devi Show on e.tv tracked down the notorious Becky Dube (watch the episode here) who claims that the exploited extras - lured from three provinces hoping for Shaka iLembe walk-on roles only to live in squalor in tents - "consented to that".

The background actors casting scandal led to change, prompting MultiChoice, M-Net and Bomb Productions to implement a code of conduct document it demanded that casting agents working for Shaka iLembe now sign and that it hopes will be adopted through the wider local industry.

Shaka iLembe, produced by Bomb Productions for M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel, is busy with production on its second season, with a third season that will be filmed in 2025.

Earlier this year before principal photography of the second season started, Becky Dube exploited and demanded that hundreds of people pay her R2000 each - only for them to be set up in tents surrounding Bomb Productions' base camp where filming of scenes in Muldersdrift took place.

Becky Casting demanded that prospective extras pay must pay a R350 "membership fee". 

Becky Casting then also demanded that they pay for two so-called "workshops" at R150 each, supposedly to "orientate extras on how things would be" when they get roles on Shaka iLembe. 

Over 300 people from Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape then had to cough up an additional R1250 each, only to discover they're getting flimsy kiddie tent accommodation surrounding the Bomb Productions show, without clean water, no food, no electricity or proper ablution facilities. 

This was after they had to pay for their own transport to get to Johannesburg.

It means that Becky Dube made over R500 000 from all of the people who paid her - although people who get roles as extras are not supposed to pay a cent and are supposed to get paid for their work.

Thabisile Xulu who wanted to be a Shaka iLembe extra said Becky "was rude and didn't respect us. She treated us as if she had picked us up off the streets. It was as if she had dumped us because she didn't check on us". 

After Bomb Productions intervened and told Becky Casting to fix the situation, the hopeful extras were moved to a dilapidated church in Melvern where people slept 13 to a room and eat off the floor.

Extras were then threatened by Becky Casting and told they would not get any work if they spoke out about the conditions and their circumstances.

"She said we were wasting our time speaking to the media because we would be fired," Thabisile Xulu said.

Jack Devnarain, chairman of the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) told The Devi Show that "having to pay your agent a commission, on top of a rental - it's not just a violation of industry rules - it's just crazy. Ultimately Bomb Productions is responsible for every single person who is going to be on that set".

"It would be right to look at this in the context of human trafficking. The conditions in which they were kept is a misrepresentation. It wasn't what people were told and they certainly didn't get work every day which is what they were promised."

Jack Devnarain said South Africa's TV and film industry "is still playing catch up, trying to establish basic rights for performers and for creatives. It means we are not protected under any basic conditions of employment". 

"We should be ashamed as South Africa and we should take full responsibility for the fact that the creative sector is not regulated. We are an anomaly. So we have created a system that punished the most vulnerable people within this sector."

Bomb Productions which is busy filming Shaka iLembe as the biggest and most expensive TV production ever made in South Africa, said it didn't make any promises to Becky Casting for extras to get work. 

Together with MultiChoice and M-Net, Bomb Productions has now implemented a strict new code of conduct for casting agents to sign, following the scandal, to prevent any similar occurrences and to prevent being blindsided again.

Thabo Boom, a Bomb Productions producer, told The Devi Show "We hope that the wider industry will take this code of conduct and utilise it so that we try, while we argue for more regulations, that we make sure that we protect extras". He said Bomb Productions will never work with Becky Casting again.

ALSO READ: Shaka iLembe: Bomb Productions extras threatened as Sasfed calls for full investigation over exploitation.

Shaka iLembe: Bomb Productions extras threatened as Sasfed calls for full investigation over exploitation.

by Thinus Ferreira

As extras and potential extras have now had threats made against their lives if they dare to speak out about their horrifying experiences, the South African Screen Federation (Sasfed) says it demands a full investigation of MultiChoice and M-Net's second season of Shaka iLembe after allegations of background performers who were treated like slave labour by casting agencies for the Bomb Productions show.

Extras and potential extras say they've now been threatened if they speak out about the horrible living arrangements and treatment they've been subjected to since the beginning of May.

Bomb Productions employed over 8 000 people for the first season of the show - a number that is set to increase for the second season which will feature big battle scenes as a young Shaka amass a massive Zulu army.

The second season of Shaka iLembe, currently in principal photography in Johannesburg, is mired in scandal after revelations that the base camp has allegedly been surrounded for weeks by tent camps filled with people living in squalor here as well as a house in Kempton Park, hoping to get "roles" as background performers.

Bussed in at their own cost from KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and paying "rent", while some managed to appear in filmed scenes, many have been hoping in vain to snag a role as an extra in Shaka while they've been struggling to find food to eat or accessing basic ablution facilities.

Lerato Taba, national coordinator of Sasfed - an umbrella body that represents production companies and South Africa's independent film and television industry - says extras on MultiChoice's prestige series for its Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel "may have been exposed to discriminatory conduct by certain casting agencies".

"Sasfed is opposed to all forms of mistreatment. It is for this reason that we call for a full investigation by relevant authorities into the matter. We also call on anyone with information to come forward and assist with the investigation."

MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic channel only issued a terse statement earlier this week, nothing that "MultiChoice has been made aware of unauthorised camps established by casting agencies near the shooting locations for Shaka iLembe season 2" and that "these camps, housing hundreds of extras in unsafe and closed quarters, are not sanctioned by MultiChoice or any official partners associated with the series".

MultiChoice said "The unauthorised camps identified are in direct violation of these standards and pose serious risks to participants. We strongly advise all extras and potential participants to only engage with verified and legitimate casting agencies affiliated with our production."

MultiChoice and Mzansi Magic didn't respond to specific questions posed in a media query made on Tuesday. 

The Randburg-based pay-TV operator was asked whether it and Bomb Productions are now changing casting agents.

MultiChoice was also asked whether Bomb Productions and M-Net did due diligence in terms of extras casting for this season, and if so what it was; whether there are safety officers on set and if they were aware of what was happening and at these camps, and what MultiChoice makes of people who have now been threatened with their lives if they speak out about their experiences.

Bomb Productions in a statement said "We are extremely concerned by this and have launched an urgent investigation into the alleged agencies, as well as informed all who supply extras to our productions that any found to be contravening the code of conduct will not be engaged with".

According to the production company, while its legal and fact-finding investigation remain ongoing "Bomb received reports of a makeshift campsite housing many people claiming to work for Shaka iLembe and launched an immediate investigation discovering people had been invited by Becky Casting with a promise to work on Shaka Ilembe".

"Bomb has never requested or authorised this. Our investigation found people had paid Becky Casting for accommodation but were living in what we deemed an unsafe and undignified makeshift campsite. Bomb management acted swiftly, demanding Becky Casting address the worrying situation and disband, we also informed the local authorities."

"Bomb has a 20 year professional track record of commitment to creating as many employment opportunities as possible, paying people decent industry-accepted rates and paying on time. Anyone jeopardising this is reckless."

"We are thus deeply aggrieved by the scurrilous behaviour of casting agents for tarnishing the reputation of Bomb and this important historical project, which creates employment for so many."

The South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) says it continues to get calls and messages from people who say they were exploited and received "several verified reports that hundreds of background extras brought to Johannesburg from KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga to work on Shaka iLembe are being forced to pay their agent rent and have only had a few days' work in three weeks".

"Needless to say, the agent will still take their commission from the actors' earnings. The actors are not being fed, have no per diem, and they feel that the agent has abandoned them."

"SAGA is in communication with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and we have submitted an affidavit that will help them determine the way forward. We won't stop fighting for a safer and fair industry where exploitation no longer exists".

A veteran producer not connected with the show told me "it looks as if there won't be any repercussions as the victims are frightened of being blacklisted if they officially speak up. For once there needs to be real repercussions for all concerned - including the producers who did not do due diligence".

"These poor extras are now sent back to KwaZulu-Natal with no money and more out of pocket than they were before. This shouldn't be. There are safety officers that should be on set but they are mostly not used as broadcasters and streamers are cutting budgets and have no line item for safety officers. Where does the bucks stop?"

Two crew members of Bomb Productions die while working on MultiChoice's second season of Shaka Ilembe.

by Thinus Ferreira

Two crew members, including a make-up artist, working for Bomb Productions on the second season of MultiChoice and M-Net's historical drama series Shaka Ilembe have died.

The names of the deceased crew members are not yet known. Their cause of death are also not yet known.

Shaka Ilembe, a precolonial reinterpretation of the Shaka Zulu legend and produced by Bomb Productions, will run for three seasons on M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) TV channel and MultiChoice's Showmax video streaming service, with principal photography of the second season that has recently started.

Rumours swirled that the deaths are due to alleged food poisoning on set.

Portia Hlongwane, Mzansi Magic spokesperson, in a statement says "Mzansi Magic can confirm that there was no food poisoning on the set of Shaka Ilembe. The make-up artist in question was employed on the set for only one-and-a-half days. On her second day, she reported feeling weak with flu-like symptoms".

"She was promptly sent to see the medic and her next of kin was contacted to collect her. Regrettably, her condition worsened, and she passed away 3 days later at home. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to her family and friends during this difficult time."

Director, writer, producer and Bomb Productions director company Teboho Mahlatsi dead at 49.

by Thinus Ferreira

The acclaimed writer, producer and director Teboho Mahlatsi who was a co-creator of the hit SABC series Yizo Yizo and who was a company director at Bomb Productions has died. He was 49.

In a statement, the Mahlatsi family says "It is with saddest regret that we announce the untimely passing of filmmaker and producer Teboho Moseling Mahlatsi on 3 July 2023".

"In lieu of personal condolences, the family kindly requests prayers and that they be given privacy to mourn and come to terms with the tragic loss."

Teboho Mahlatsi's cause of death is not yet known. He leaves behind his wife Palesa, son Kanu (11) and daughter (6).

Born in 1974, Teboho Mahlatsi completed the Africa Cultural Centre's Film & Television Course in 1993 after which he worked for 5 years as a young screenwriter.

Teboho Mahlatsi wrote, produced and directed numerous projects, including the documentary Ghetto Diaries for the SABC's SABC Education division and became a sought-after TV commercial director.

He was a co-creator of the controversial and highly-popular Yizo Yizo youth-centred drama series which ran for three seasons on SABC1, and his first short film, Portrait of a Young Man Drowning won the Silver Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1999.

In 2000 he completed the TV series Ungshaya Ding Dong.

Teboho Mahlatsi who was a company co-director at Bomb Productions, responsible for MultiChoice and Mzansi Magic's (DStv 161) Shaka iLembe, directed numerous music videos and he also produced A-Z: A Commentary on post-Apartheid South Africa in 2001, as well as Meokgo and the Stick Fighter (Sekalli le Meokgo) in 2006.

Other works from Teboho Mahlatsi include Meet South Africa. Meet Bheki: The Mbhaco Maker (2017), Shuga (2019 - 2012), as well as White City, Black Lives (1997).

Teboho Mahlatsi was a writer on Isibaya on Mzansi Magic between 2014 and 2016, was the developer and creator of the 2006 series Angel's Song and produced Ayeye.

Teboho Mahlatsi was a producer of the TV series Jacob's Cross, executive produced the TV miniseries Think BIG, executive produced and directed the 2016 film For Love and Broken Bones, and executive produced the 2019 film Back of the Moon.

Teboho Mahlatsi was also a director on Queen Sono, Netflix's first African Original series.

Besides being a director at Bomb Productions, he focused efforts the past two years on producing personal movies through his own company, Moseling Films.

Speaking at a TedXSoweto event in 2010, Teboho Mahlatsi said that "The reason I do film is first and foremost because I'm a fan of cinema. Like a typical township kid I fell in love with cinema from going to the bioscope which was in a small community hall with an old projector".

"My first memory of cinema is Clint Eastwood walking across the desert and his mouth is covered in sores. To this day, Westerns are still my favourite genre and many years later I got to make my own Western."

"I went to Lesotho - my family's from there, my grandparents are from there. It made perfect sense. They're already on horseback, they're wearing blankets, and instead of guns, I'll use sticks. So I went to Lesotho and did this film Stick Fighter."

"I don't consider myself an African filmmaker. Yes I was born here, I live here, but I just consider myself a filmmaker." He said: "I want to make films for that kid who went to the bioscope like I did."

Mzansi Magic tells TVwithThinus that "Mzansi Magic extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of visionary creative, Teboho Mahlatsi, who made an immense contribution to the South African film and television industry. He was a remarkable talent, and he will be deeply missed".

Netflix adds Shaka Zulu before Mzansi Magic’s Shaka iLembe debut.

by Thinus Ferreira

Netflix has acquired and added 1986's iconic 10-episode Shaka Zulu drama series just before MultiChoice and M-Net's new 12-episode Shaka iLembe drama series will make its debut on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) this Sunday night at 20:00.

A rising tide lifts all boats and Netflix appears to be betting that a surge in interest and online Shaka searches might channel some viewers to the video streaming service to sample the Harmony Gold and SABC co-production from William C. Faure that starred Henry Cele in the iconic warrior role.

On Tuesday Netflix SA, through its Eclipse Communications PR agency, was asked why Shaka Zulu was added now to the streamer's catalogue of content but it didn't respond with an answer.

Adding Shaka Zulu to Netflix just before the debut of Shaka iLembe on Mzansi Magic is the clearest move of so-called "counter-programming" yet by the streamer within the South African market.

It's a technique long-employed by rival American TV networks that would directly schedule a similar type of competitive content in the same timeslot as a first-announced original, hoping to dull some of its shine or dent ratings and lure over some viewers.

While the gaze of the 1986 series in English, told through flashbacks by the Irish Dr Henry Fynn is decidedly from a European settler perspective, the new Bomb Productions 2022 series done in isiZulu with a stellar ensemble cast and Lemogang Tsipa in the title role, flips the story to a South African gaze - telling the story of Shaka's rise to Zulu king from an insider's perspective. 

While the 1986 Shaka series has nudity and violence, Shaka iLembe ups the ante for the modern sensibilities of the HBO-sensitised audience, with more nudity, sex, violence and blood splatterings in service of the story, for a show definitely not meant for younger viewers.

Shaka iLembe was filmed in four locations across KwaZulu-Natal, as well as in Gauteng around Johannesburg and the Cradle of Humankind, employing one of the biggest cast and crews in South African television history at 9 150 people who contributed to the sprawling project.

While Shaka Zulu is a limited series of 10 episodes, MultiChoice and M-Net envision Shaka iLembe to run for three seasons.

After 4 years, filming finally starts on M-Net's Shaka Ilembe drama series from MultiChoice and Bomb Productions, Lemogang Tsipa to portray adult Zulu king.

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".

ALSO READ: M-Net adds another black historical drama series, Shaka-Ilembe, from Bomb Productions that will explore the precolonial South African kingdoms that influenced and gave rise to Shaka Zulu.

e.tv brings viewers a South African type of The Bold and the Beautiful with new fashion world-set House of Zwide that replaces Rhythm City as primetime soap from 19 July.

by Thinus Ferreira

e.tv is replacing its cancelled primetime soap Rhythm City with a type of South African The Bold and the Beautiful, with House of Zwide that will start on Monday 19 July and revolve around a "fashionable" Johannesburg family and the high-drama and ruthless ambition that marks the cut-throat fashion industry.

Just like the Forresters of Forrester Fashions in Los Angeles, the Zwide family in Johannesburg and their rivals are in constant competition and would rather be caught dead than being out of fashion.

Produced by Bomb Productions and VideoVision Entertainment, House of Zwide replaces Rhythm City that recently filmed its final scenes. e.tv has not yet announced any new casting for House of Zwide.

"The show could not have come at a better time," says Helga Palmer, e.tv's head of local productions.

"e.tv brings you a show of hopes and dreams to uplift and inspire viewers to believe they can achieve anything they put their minds to, in a world filled with uncertainty and despair. As Bomb Productions and VideoVision Entertainment are well-known for authentic storytelling, it will come as no surprise when the show takes South Africa by storm," Helga Palmer says.

Anant Singh, VideoVision Entertainment CEO, says "House of Zwide tells a thrilling rags-to-riches story set in the glamorous world of fashion".

"It is a timely, aspirational tale with many twists and turns that we believe will keep viewers glued to their television screens. We are excited to be partnering with Bomb Productions on this production which also marks our second series with e.tv."

Desiree Markgraaff, Bomb Productions executive producer, says "We acknowledge and are humbled to be following in the footsteps of Rhythm City which has blazed a trail in this time slot".

"We are very excited to be creating a new show for e.tv and hope viewers will welcome House Of Zwide. Covid-19 has been hard on everyone and we wanted to tell a story that reminds us that no matter the obstacles, we must never give up on our dreams."

Location scouting underway, casting starting soon, for MultiChoice and M-Net's iconic new Shaka drama series.

Location scouting has started and casting will begin soon to find an "iconic" place and actors to film M-Net's South African "Game of Thrones" version as MultiChoice mounts a blue-chip production effort in its own retelling of the story of the Zulu king Shaka that will be broadcast as a new drama series on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).

Besides broadcasting Shaka in South Africa and across Sub-Saharan Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, M-Net has plans to sell what it wants to be a prestige series to the world, showcasing to global broadcasters the production quality, capacity and talent that exists in South Africa.

With Shaka M-Net wants to eventually lure more international co-productions made in South Africa and across the continent and make global content buyers aware of the raft of local content available for international broadcasters

Produced by Bomb Productions, M-Net in May 2018 announced that it has commissioned a 12-episode drama series order to tell the story of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona. The black historical drama series will explore the precolonial South African kingdoms that influenced and gave rise to Shaka Zulu.

South Africans and viewers worldwide are familiar with the 10-episode, 1986-series Shaka Zulu from the SABC and Harmony Gold USA that was directed by William C. Faure, starring the iconic, late Henry Cele in the adult Shaka role and based on Joshua Sinclair's 1985-novel of the same name.

"To tell the story of Shaka in this moment is a huge responsibility and a great honour," says Jacob Ntshangase, one of the writers.

The new Shaka will also be filmed across South Africa, with Bomb Productions now scouring the country in search of iconic locations while pre-production has started before filming later this year to recreate the world in which Shaka lived and reigned.

M-Net and Bomb Productions will also cast several Shaka's seen as a baby, at 7, 12, 18, as well as the man, as well as several other characters who will "age" as well and be portrayed by different actors as life moves on.

The casting process looking for the perfect actors to inhabit Shaka and the other roles will be nationwide.

"We are excited about making an epic and exhilarating drama that is respectful of the real history," says Teboho Mahlatsi, executive producer and co-creator at Bomb Productions.

"Research is key. Telling a story of such complexity does not just happen overnight. We will depict the great kingdoms of the AmaThethwa, the AmaNdwandwe, AmaQwabe, AmaHlubi and AmaZulu amongst others, and on this epic canvas, we will see the heroic rise of Shaka. We are telling an African story about a great African empire."

Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO for general entertainment, says "Starting this journey is history in the making and whilst research and consultation with stakeholders will continue, we are looking forward to unearthing and showcasing the deep pool of talent that lies within South Africa."

"This is a proudly South African series which we intend to take to the world."

Bomb Productions is close to starting the first stage of casting for mostly background extras and will travel across South Africa doing auditions for abashaya indlamu (traditional dancers), izimbongi and izinyosi (praise singers), as well as amaqhawe enduku (stick fighters).

"We are looking for real deep skills - no pretenders," warns Teboho Mahlatsi.

For acting roles, Angus Gibson, Bomb producer says "Previous film experience is not necessary. We are looking to unearth new talent who will perform alongside our great, experienced actors".

However, the search for the actors playing Shaka will be at the heart of the extensive casting process.

"We will be looking for him as a baby, at 7, 12 and 18 years – as well as the man. Then there is Nandi, Mkabayi, Dingiswayo, Zwide, Ntombase and many other riveting characters whom we see at different stages of their lives," says Angus Gibson.

Nkateko Mabaso, M-Net CEO, says "At M-Net we've been telling local stories for over 30 years and this is a continuation of our commitmet to our industry. This is not a colonial telling, this story will be told from our perspective".

DStv subscribers keep increasing although MultiChoice continues to lose top-end DStv Premium customers who no longer see it as offering enough value for money.

MultiChoice has shown another increase in its overall number of DStv subscribers although the African-based pay-TV operator continues to lose top-end DStv Premium subscribers who are abandoning the most expensive tier that no longer offers enough value for money.

The MultiChoice Group on Tuesday published its annual financial results for the year that ended 31 March 2019, showing that while its overall number of DStv subscribers continue to grow, DStv Premium subscribers continue to decline due to stiff competition from international video streaming services, as well as tough economic conditions putting pressure on consumers' discretionary spending habits.

MultiChoice lost another 100 000 DStv Premium subscribers during its reported financial year.

Overall it grew its pay-TV subscriber base by 12% to 15.1 million subscribers in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa combined but its percentage of DStv Premium and DStv Compact subscribers in South Africa decreased by 7%.

MultiChoice continues to refuse to break out and make any concrete Showmax subscriber numbers available in its financial results. Showmax as its subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, together with its DStv Now service fall under MultiChoice's Connected Video division.

"The South African business delivered subscriber growth of 8% year-on-year or 500 000 subscribers and generated revenues of R33.7 billion, up 3% (4% organic) from the prior year," The MultiChoice Group said.

"The DStv Premium segment remained under pressure as consumers were impacted by rising fuel and other costs and we competed for share of wallet."

MultiChoice said that online services like Showmax and DStv Now performed well and that online subscribers doubled year-over-year thanks to "good uptake".

Because of the ongoing loss of DStv Premium subscribers - MultiChoice's most valuable customers - the ARPU from South African pay-TV customers was once again down. ARPU stands for "average revenue per user".

What the drop in the overall percentage of DStv Premium subscriber numbers in South Africa means, is that MultiChoice is making less average revenue per subscriber.

MultiChoice's "ARPU for South Africa declined from R335 to R322 due to the ongoing change in subscriber mix towards the mass market," the pay-TV operator said that was spin-off from Naspers and listed separately on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) at the end of February.

DStv Premium subscribers declined from 22% in the previous financial year to 20% at the end of March 2019. The mid-tier subscribers - DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact - also showed a marginal decline going from 40% of all overall subscribers to 38% by the end of March 2019.

The low-end subscriber segment - DStv Family, DStv Access and DStv Easyview subscribers - grew from 37% to 42%.

The MultiChoice Group added another 1.6 million pay-TV subscribers across Africa during the financial year and now has a total of 15.1 million pay-TV customers, of which 7.4 million are in South Africa, and 7.7 million are in the rest of Africa outside of Africa.

This is the first time that the "rest of Africa" has more pay-TV subscribers on a combined basis than pay-TV subscribers in just South Africa.

The MultiChoice Group generated R50.1 billion in revenue, an increase of 6%. The pay-TV operator also upped its investment in local content production, and added 4 600 hours of local content to its library to nearly 50 000 hours.

"The spend on local general entertainment content as a percentage of total general entertainment content increased from 38% to 40% in line with the strategy to reach a target of 45%," The MultiChoice Group said.

Twenty new local drama series were produced, while Uganda as part of the "rest of Africa" became the 7th country to launch a TV channel (Pearl Magic) focused on locally-produced content.

Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice CEO, in a statement says "Our growth is exceptionally pleasing, especially in the current economic climate, and a clear indication that our strategy is working. We continue to believe in the growing appetite for video entertainment across the African continent".

In the next financial year MultiChoice said that it plans to "continue its focus on scaling its video entertainment services across the continent, mainly in the middle and mass markets".

Also interesting to note is that The MultiChoice Group will be changing the metric whereby its measuring subscribers for the first time, from the 2019/2020 financial year.

Previously MultiChoice derived the number from active subscribers on the measuring day.

Going forward The MultiChoice Group will report its subscribers numbers as including any customer who had "an active primary/principal subscription within the 90 day period on or before reporting date. This provides a better reflection of the activity of our base," MultiChoice says.



MultiChoice Africa
In the rest of Africa outside of South Africa, MultiChoice Africa grew MultiChoice's subscriber base by 17% year-on-year with 1.1 million subscribers by the end of March 2019.

The pay-TV subscriber growth of both DStv and GOtv subscribers across Africa translated into revenue growth of 13% R14.8 billion while trading losses reduced 19% or R0.9 billion.

MultiChoice Africa's ARPU from pay-TV subscribers fell slightly and stabilised at R159, compared to R160 in the previous financial year. There were currency depreciation in the Angolan kwanza (60%), Zambian kwacha (17%) and the Ghanaian cedi (11%).

MultiChoice also solidified its position in the Angolan market, converted the Angolan operation from an agency to a subsidiary. Business remain tough in Angola and Zimbabwe, where cash balances and trade receivables of R298 million held in Angola and Zimbabwe remain exposed to weakening currencies, reduced 80% compared to the previous year's balance.

Liquidity constraints in Angola however improved, leaving a closing cash position of R168 million.

MultiChoice says the MultiChoice Africa region still represents a "huge market opportunity" with many households not yet part of pay-TV - about 19 million households - and that MultiChoice is focused on "driving scale to return to profitability".

Nigeria (34%), Kenya (11%), and Zambia (10%) - interestingly also representing the biggest hubs in West, East and Southern Africa (excluding South Africa) remain the biggest revenue drivers for the MultiChoice Africa business.

The rest of Africa combined are responsible for 45% of the revenue earned from the "rest of Africa".

M-Net's Shaka TV series - first key art look
MultiChoice's presentation for its financial year results surprisingly includes the first look at M-Net's upcoming local drama series, Shaka, with the first reveal of key art treatment.

M-Net hasn't yet shared anything with the press about Shaka - if that's to be the new title (or a working title) beyond the original Shaka-Ilembe that was announced as the title in May 2018.

The new Shaka key art includes the new "An M-Net Original" marking that M-Net is now adding to all of its locally-produced TV series to distinguish itself from other productions.

Shaka is produced by Bomb Productions and will start on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) in the 2019/2020 financial year.

Shaka/Shaka-Ilembe that has been created by M-Net specifically with an eye on global distribution.

The drama series with an initial 12-episode order will revolve around the powers that influenced and shaped Shaka Zulu - the drama unfolding from the time of his conception, his bravery as a young man, the early attempts to kill him and the subsequent years of exile with his mother.

The drama series will also introduce the chiefdoms of the AmaThethwa, the AmaNdwandwe, AmaQwabe, AmaHlubi and others, which will give rise to Shaka Zulu as ruler.

The stylized "Shaka" on the key art also includes a spear pointing from left to right, and also makes use of an amber palette hue, similar to what was used for the 1986 Shaka Zulu TV series from Harmony Gold USA and the SABC that starred the late Henry Cele.

M-Net's Shaka key art comes with the tag line: "A Hero's Journey - From Outcast to King".


ALSO READ: MultiChoice does little to stop the drop of DStv Premium subscribers other than have the call centre phone them after they had already cancelled; top-end segment still 'a long way off' from being 'unable to wash itself' and being unprofitable.
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. MultiChoice CEO, Calvo Mawela, has started spouting some inane gibberish about millennials not wanting or able to watch 90 minutes of something. Get a child - and get a grip.
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Higher prices are not killing DStv Premium - MultiChoice's lack of showing DStv subscribers why it's worth it, constantly diluting it, and failure to add value is what's damaging it.
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. If you want to see some really hilarious sh*t look no further than MultiChoice's surreal no-numbers presentation in its financial results comparing Showmax and DStv Now with rival Netflix.
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. MultiChoice lies and says in its financial report presentation it 'enhanced content discovery' - in reality the pay-TV operator did the exact opposite during the year and made it more difficult and worse.

Netflix to finally commission some original series from Africa in 2019.

Netflix says it will finally commission some original series from Africa in 2019, with the global video streaming service confirming that it is looking at opportunities in Africa.

Erik Barmack, Netflix vice-president of international originals, at last week's Content London conference, said Netflix is continuing to expand it original slate of series made across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Variety reported about Netflix's Africa ambitions on Friday.

"There's going to come a time when half of the top 10 of most-watched shows on Netflix in a given year are going to come from outside of the United States," Erik Barmack said.

Meanwhile South African producers and production companies in Africa's most developed TV market have expressed ongoing frustration about not being able to reach out to Netflix to pitch TV and film projects for possible consideration, saying they don't know who to contact, who to talk to, or how to reach Netflix.

In October 2017 Netflix told TVwithThinus that it has "a pretty strong content team that is travelling to every country to talk to local producers" and is "talking to South African producers".

When Netflix was asked how South African and African producers can get in contact with Netflix, the service said it doesn't give out details and that it makes contact with producers. It's not clear how Netflix will know of producers or reach them that its not aware of.

Meanwhile the MultiChoice Group, planning to list on the JSE during the first half of 2019, continues to ramp up content spend and the production of local originals to buffer the growing so-called "Netflix threat".

It's local streaming service Showmax will invest in more local series like the Girl from St Agnes, while M-Net is pumping money into shows hunting for an African version of Game of Thrones.

M-Net is doing an international co-production, the crime thriller series Reyka with Fremantle distributing internationally, while M-Net commissioned Shaka-Ilembe from Bomb Productions that will explore the precolonial South African kingdoms that influenced and gave rise to Shaka Zulu.

The M-Net (DStv 101) channel's 2019 slate will have a new 7th season of Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets, a first season of The Bachelor South Africa, and a third season of The Voice SA, while Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) will have a 15th season of Idols.