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".

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".

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.

M-Net has added another black historical drama series, Shaka-Ilembe, produced by Bomb Productions, that will explore the precolonial Southern African kingdoms and characters that had an influence on Shaka Zulu.

The producers of the 12-episode first season of Shaka-Ilembe already has three seasons mapped out should the production go further, and follows after the umpteenth rebroadcast of the classic 1986 Harmony Gold USA series Shaka Zulu with the late Henry Cele that scored over 2 million Sunday night viewers for SABC1 in mid-2017.

Shaka-Ilembe that has been created by M-Net specifically with an eye on global distribution, will be broadcast on M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) for MultiChoice's DStv subscribers, and comes amidst a big global and African interest in Disney and Marvel's film Black Panther that depicted the mythical Wakanda kingdom and had moviegoers enthralled.

Shaka-Ilembe 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.

Shaka-Ilembe follows M-Net's February announcement of two new commissioned drama series, the detective drama Trackers based on Deon Meyer's crime novel, and House of Phalo, described as a "Xhosa Game of Thrones" currently in production in the Eastern Cape province as a retelling of the modern Xhosa and the rise of King Phalo.

Trackers is produced by Three River Fiction and SCENE23, while House of Phalo is produced by by Mfundi Vundla's Morula Pictures. Bomb Productions previously created drama series like Yizo-Yizo and Zone 14 for the SABC's SABC1 channel, Jacob's Cross for M-Net and Isibaya for Mzansi Magic.

Bomb Productions describes Shaka-Ilembe also as an African Game of Thrones, saying "the epic series" will tell the story of precolonial kingdoms and the "heroes and villains who shaped and influenced one of Africa's greatest kings - Shaka kaSenzangakhona".

"We have seen how global audiences are ready to enjoy universal stories from multiple geographies. Now it is time for the incredible tradition of African storytelling to travel beyond our continent," said Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment for MultiChoice.

It echoes her speech in Dubai two weeks ago at MultiChoice's 5th Digital Dialogue Conference, saying MultiChoice and M-Net are "looking forward to investing even more in telling local stories, documenting our history and providing a platform for Africans to share African stories".

"The success of companies like Iroko TV, artists like Davido, actresses like Lupita N'yongo and the movie Black Panther are confirmation that the world is ready to consume African stories, celebrate African culture and embrace African languages."

She promised that this year MultiChoice and M-Net will start production on a number of epic African stories.

In the Thursday announcement, Yolisa Phahle said "we are committed to building a film and industry that will deliver benefits to our industry and are increasing our investment in local productions".

Teboho Mahlatsi, Shaka-Ilembe executive producer who will be working with Angus Gibson on the series, says that "with ambitions of making a series as epic and vast as Game of Thrones, we want to tell the story of the Nguni peoples who migrated to below the Pongola river and ruled over this verdant land."

"With three action-packed seasons mapped out, we hope to breathe life into the kings and queens, warriors and witches, spies, slavers, marauders and traders who lived, loved and fought for this land".

"This is a legacy project and has deep meaning to the team who have been telling stories of everyday South African heroes and heroines for the past 21 years. This is not a colonial telling of a great African empire, this story will finally be told from our perspective".

Teboho Mahlatsi, says "scale will not be compromised - whether that be in battles with 20 000 warriors, the visualisation of a kingdom or the capturing of an elephant".

M-Net says the team behind Shaka-Ilembe is vast, including historians, traditional leaders, oral custodians, royal advisors and filmmakers working through the many versions of source materials and stories to ensure authenticity.

Some of the names attached and helping out are the playwright Mpumulelo Grootboom, Catherine Swart, Nhlanhla Mtaka, Jacob Ntshangase, Hlonipa Mokoena, Benedict Carton and Thishiwe Ziqubu.

"We are at a pivotal time in history, a time where South Africa is reclaiming its own story, where history has been re-examined," said Jacob Ntshangase. "To tell the story of Shaka is a huge honour, and a huge responsibility".