EXCLUSIVE: Shaka iLembe‘s epic journey is coming to an finish.
We will reveal MultiChoice has renewed the landmark African drama collection for a 3rd and season, which is about to premiere in 2026.
The collection, set within the later 18th century within the verdant lands of Southeast Africa’s Nguni Kingdoms, chronicles the lifetime of the legendary Zulu king Shaka (Lemogang Tsipa), tracing his rise from boyhood to battlefield strategist and visionary chief who reshaped the course of African historical past. Season 2 ended yesterday night, closing one pivotal chapter in his life and paving the path to the ultimate act.
The BOMB! Productions collection is MultiChoice’s largest and most bold manufacturing, with Season 2 creating greater than 16,000 jobs. Additionally it is essentially the most awarded collection within the historical past of the South African Movie & Tv Awards, with 12 wins.
Filmed totally in South African, Shaka iLembe stars Tsipa alongside the likes of Nomzamo Mbatha, Wiseman Mncube, Daybreak Thandeka King, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Mondli Makhoba, Mpilo Mbatha, Anele Nene, Vuyo Biyela and Ntando Zondi, who performed the younger Shaka. Casting for Season 3 will comply with at a later date.
Season 1 started with kings and queens, warriors, witches, spies and merchants struggling for energy, charting Shaka’s path to manhood and the way he was formed by trials alongside the way in which. Additionally that includes storylines about Dingiswayo (Mthembu)’s exile and Queen Nandi (Mbatha)’s refusal to be silenced by the desire of males, it sparked cultural conversations and was thought of a breakout African manufacturing.
Season 2 picked up as Shaka and Nandi arrived in KwaNobamba, the place he started his reign as the brand new Zulu king, and explored how he established a robust empire. Season 3 will, per the producers, chronicle “the ultimate, thunderous act of Shaka’s reign – a saga of imaginative and prescient, glory, and betrayal.”
Synopsis continues: “As he hosts the grandest Ijadu celebration in Zulu historical past — a blinding show of energy, tune and dance that pulls rival kings to his kraal – an murderer’s spear glistens with royal blood. From that second, suspicion wracks Shaka, unravelling belief inside his court docket as any trace of betrayal is punished with ruthless power. A momentous marketing campaign in opposition to the Mpondo tribe provides stress, whereas Queen Nandi is pressured to hide a devastating secret.
“Francis Fynn and the British arrive within the area, requesting the proper to settle at Port Natal – with the native tribes unaware of the worldwide British colonial push. Two sweeping love tales unfold, Mzilikazi goes on a collection of surprising adventures and clouds collect over the true motives of the settlers. There are enemies on the gates – and enemies inside – and Shaka should deploy all his wiles in an try to stave off a coup.”
MultiChoice, which is about to be taken over by Canal+, payments Shaka iLembe as a “love letter” to South Africa‘s nature and wildlife, and specifically the land that bore witness to the reinvention of the Zulu empire, KwaZulu-Natal, which got here into being on the finish of apartheid in 1994 when then Natal province was renamed. Most native individuals converse Zulu.
“After we introduced the primary season, we had been assured that Shaka iLembe would set a brand new customary for African storytelling – and whereas we hoped audiences would embrace it, the response has far exceeded our expectations,” mentioned MultiChoice Basic Leisure CEO Nomsa Philiso.
“Greater than talking to the heritage of the Zulu Nation, it took the story of a dynasty created from scratch by one man to the world, endorsed by the descendants of the King himself and advised from an African perspective. Now, as we enter the third season, we broaden that universe of kings and queens, warriors, healers and leaders who’ve a imaginative and prescient to reinvent a whole tradition and set up a legacy that endures greater than three centuries later.”
Seasons 1 and a pair of of Shaka iLembe have been acknowledged for his or her elaborate costumes, cinematography, soundtracks, CGI and nuanced portrayal of Zulu tradition and custom. In whole, the present has gained 12 SAFTAs, with Mbatha additionally selecting up a Greatest African Actress award on the 2024 Septimius Awards in Amsterdam for her Season 1 position.
