In an unprecendented move, the AmaZulu royal house has expressed interest in reviewing and editing Shaka iLembe season two before it hits the TV screens.
The move comes as the royal house revealed that it was not happy about season one of the drama series, saying it was riddled with inaccuracies.
The spokesperson for AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, Prince Nathi, said: “As the royal house, we were disturbed by season one of Shaka iLembe, mainly because it was far from the truth.
“Now we are concerned that season two will be a continuation of misrepresentation of our culture.
“Our great concern is that this play will wipe away our history if it goes on air without us seeing it. We therefore ask the production house and the channel to let us preview this play.”
Prince Zeblon Zulu from the royal house reiterated Nathi’s claim.
“We watched Shaka iLembe season one in disbelief, but it was too late to do anything,” said Zulu.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t do much because some top people were paid and we couldn’t do much.
“I’m not going to mention names or expose anyone, but as the royal house, we were embarrassed and disgraced by season one of Shaka iLembe.”
Disaster waiting to happen
Zulu continued: “We’re therefore requesting the production house and the channel to let us see season two before they release it to the public.
“The production was supposed to give the royal house, affected families, and cultural experts an opportunity to see the play before it goes on air.
“We’re worried that season two is a disaster waiting to happen, and it must be stopped. Therefore, I call upon our cultural experts, historians, and academics to help us protect our culture.
“If it goes on air without the royal family, cultural experts, and affected families seeing it, the damage will be irreversible, and people will eventually start accepting it as the truth.”
A cultural expert, Dr Mathole Motshega, said there is a bigger problem when it comes to screenplays.
“This is an insult, not just to Zulu people but to the African tribes. Our African culture and identity have become a quick money-making scheme; this must be stopped,” said Motshega.
“All other cultures, including Chinese and Islamic, are respected except African culture. Just because they have money, they should not be allowed to misinform people.”
Countless mistakes made
Mhlathuze Mhlongo from the Mhlongo family indicated that the series made countless mistakes.
“In the series, they claimed that Shaka’s mother was married to Shaka’s father, King Senzangakhona. This is not true, and they need to rectify it,” said Mhlongo.
“Secondly, they claimed that there was some relationship between the Mhlongos and the Ndwandwes. This was not the case; there was no relationship between the Mhlongos and the Ndwandwes.”
In season one, it is also alleged that Queen Ntombazi practised witchcraft and had zombies in her house.
“It is true that she was a strong woman and she was using muthi, but we don’t know where the zombie story came from. This is not our history, and we need them to correct it,” said Mthethwa Godongwana.
Channel and production house consulted widely
The spokesperson for MultiChoice and Bomb Production, Portia Hlongwane, said: “MultiChoice and Bomb Productions consulted widely with many historians, descendants, oral custodians, and stakeholders regarding the history of Shaka and the many key figures of his era.
“Bomb Productions and MultiChoice have always viewed the telling of this big story as a multiseason project, starting way before Shaka’s birth to give context to the world and era; he was born into season one; that is where we introduced the many narratives that were at play all the way through to after his death in 1828.
“Bomb has worked with deep passion and commitment together with MultiChoice to create a series that we hope will make South Africans excited and proud.”
