Shaka iLembe: Zulu King is set to take viewers deeper into the world of King Shaka, with new characters, kingdoms and growing pressure from foreign powers.
By Bulelwa Hoala
STUDIOCANAL has released a first look at the much-anticipated Season 3 of Shaka iLembe: Zulu King.
This comes as the South African isiZulu drama will be introduced to international buyers for the first time at MIPCOM 2026 (the international television and entertainment content market).
Produced by Bomb Productions for MultiChoice, a CANAL+ Company, the series continues the story of Shaka kaSenzangakhona and the people around him, with South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha returning as Queen Nandi.
A new chapter for Shaka iLembe
Season 3 picks up four years after the events of the second season.
At this point, Shaka’s kingdom has grown into a dominant force across Southern Africa, but his reign faces new challenges as British expansion and growing European influence begin to reshape the region.
The story will also expand beyond the Zulu kingdom, introducing the emerging Basotho Kingdom of Moshoeshoe, King Faku’s Mpondo Kingdom and the settlement of Port Natal.
At the centre of it all are Queen Nandi and Shaka’s politically formidable aunt, Mkabayi.
The new season also introduces South African actors 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.
See the pics below:
Nomzamo Mbatha on Queen Nandi
For Mbatha, playing the role of Queen Nandi has become a career highlight.
The actress, who is also an executive producer on the series, says portraying Nandi has been an honour.
“Portraying Queen Nandi, a woman whose courage helped build a kingdom and whose values still shape our understanding of the modern Zulu woman, has been an honour and a career highlight,” she says.
Mbatha also reflected on what the series represents for African storytelling.
“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.
For Mbatha, the success of the series extends beyond television because of its contribution to the creative economy.
From Mzansi to international screens
The international launch of Shaka iLembe comes as the series has already made its mark locally.
Across its first two seasons, Shaka iLembe has become the highest-rated drama in DStv’s history, the most-searched TV series in South Africa in 2023, and holds the record for the most wins, with 12, by a drama series in a single year at the SAFTAs.
The series has also expanded into Francophone Africa through CANAL+ Afrique, while its international sales launch will now introduce the franchise to a wider group of buyers.
Bomb Productions executive producer Desireé Markgraaff said the journey has been in the making for more than 12 years.
“Our ambition was to tell this story with the scale, drama and epic sweep of world-class mainstream storytelling, while portraying the Africa we know and love with the dignity, complexity and humanity it deserves,” she said.
As Season 3 readies to reach global audiences, Shaka iLembe will once again put South African history and storytelling at the centre of the map.
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