The Zulu king is crossing borders. After breaking South African TV records, Shaka iLembe: Zulu King is taking its isiZulu storytelling, political intrigue and epic African scale to the world.
GAZETTE REPORTER
Shaka is leaving the kingdom.
Not literally, of course. But after becoming one of South Africa’s biggest television phenomena, Shaka iLembe: Zulu King is finally stepping beyond the continent, with STUDIOCANAL taking the isiZulu-language epic to international buyers at MIPCOM 2026.
That changes the conversation. This is no longer simply a lavish retelling of one of Southern Africa’s most famous historical figures. It is an African story testing its power in a global television market — without changing the language that made it authentically African.
FROM ZULULAND TO THE WORLD
Produced by Bomb Productions for MultiChoice, the series traces the rise of Shaka kaSenzangakhona through the eyes of African filmmakers and historians. Its first two seasons have already become DStv’s highest-rated drama, while the series was South Africa’s most-searched TV show in 2023.
Then came the awards: 12 SAFTAs in a single year, including Best Drama Series.
Now comes the international gamble, not in changing Shaka, but in seeing how far Shaka can travel as it is.
“Shaka iLembe demonstrates that the most powerful stories are often the most specific, and we are delighted to see this proudly African production find new audiences around the world,” says Nomsa Philiso, Vice President, Content at CANAL+ Africa.
NEW KINGDOMS, NEW PRESSURES
Season three jumps four years forward. Shaka’s kingdom dominates Southern Africa, but new forces are gathering: British expansion, European influence, the emerging Basotho Kingdom of Moshoeshoe, King Faku’s Mpondo Kingdom and the settlement of Port Natal.
At the emotional centre are Queen Nandi, played by Nomzamo Mbatha, and Shaka’s formidable aunt Mkabayi.
The new season also introduces Lerato Mvelase as Queen Mpikase, Aiden Scott as British trader Henry Francis Fynn, Conrad Kemp as Lt. Francis Farewell and Wonder Ndlovu as Prince Mpande.
THE AFRICAN STORY, UNTRANSLATED
For executive producer and star Mbatha, the show’s international journey is about more than ratings.
“Shaka iLembe: Zulu King is proof of what African storytelling can achieve when it’s given the room to be ambitious, told at scale, and shared from the inside out,” she says.
That “inside out” part may be the real headline.
With more than 20,000 jobs created across production and a reported expansion into francophone Africa through CANALAfrique+ MAGIC, Shaka iLembe has already become a creative-industry story as much as a television one.