Shaka iLembe Season 2 Review
Shaka iLembe is a South African historical series produced by Bomb for Multichoice. The series premiered on 18, June 2023 and was renewed for a second season which aired from the 15th of June 2025.
The series re-imagines and chronicles the meteoric rise of King Shaka and the Zulu Kingdom. Season 2 continues the story as Shaka begins his reign as the new Zulu king, facing love, betrayal and the struggles that come with consolidating power, in pursuit of his dream and destiny…
The Good
In History class, we studied Shaka, as a tyrant and military, strategist whose quest for power, resulted in a turbulent and chaotic times the Mfecane marked with mass migrations that sculpted changes, whose impact is still reflected in present-day identity and culture of Southern Africa.
Shaka Ilembe gives an interesting perspective to this legendary king, humanising the iconic legend and his journey from boy to warrior and finally, king. It also sheds light on the the intricacies of the various tribes and kingdoms that either became part of the Zulu empire, allied with it or opposed it. I was particularly interested in the story of Soshangane which is entangled with my own ancestry.
Lemogang Tsipa’s portrayal of Shaka is stellar, before watching this rendition of Shaka, I would have said no one could hold a candle to Henry Cele’s portrayal of Shaka, but by the end of this series I could not picture anyone but Tsipa play The Axe. His performance captured the intensity tempered with vulnerability and ambition, that fuelled Shaka as he faced his trials through triumphs, losses and betrayal.
The storytelling is epic and special mention to Dawn Thandeka King, who not only plays the King Maker, Mkabayi kaJama but is the narrator whose poetic monologues added background context and complemented the show’s cinematography.
The visuals are stunning with sweeping landscapes, intricate costume design, and large-scale battle sequences that elevated the production to cinematic levels while maintaining a level of authenticity, evident in the immersive sets, and locations, and the rich representation of culture and court politics.
While the show is centred around Shaka, female leads in the production paid homage to the women whose roles in history have been downplayed from Queen Nandi (Nomzamo Mbatha), Shaka’s mother, whose diplomacy and counsel helped steer the empire, to the female regiments that stood their ground in the battlefield, femme fatales whose gaze started a thousand battles and toppled kings, and of course Queen Ntombazi (Khabonina Qubeka) who should get an award for scariest portrayal of a historical figure….
The Bad
The muti-cast show incorporates so many tribes and cultures I would get lost in understanding how exactly the different groups were related or interacted, the allies, enemies, relations neutrals and mix up why others were fighting or conniving. Switching between the various locations also made my head spin, as I tried to keep track of who was where and why.
Pacing was sometimes uneven. Certain storylines moved briskly, while others dragged, weighed down by convoluted side dramas that distracted from the Shaka-centric plot. Another jarring element was the treatment of distance and time: some characters would take days to reach a destination, while others covered the same ground (and back) in what felt like a blink, with little acknowledgement of the passage of time.
The Ugly
The executions, assassinations, and battlefield carnage at times got disturbingly graphic. The battles with spears and sticks though historically grounded, could get overwhelming for sensitive viewers.
History repeats itself, even when its happening, some scenes were a cycle that kept happening over and over again an endless cycle of betrayal, revenge, war and a path that only led to death.
Shaka references this in his unwillingness to have a family not simply because he thought that made him weak but because he didn’t want to have a son whom would challenge him for the throne….
Final Thoughts
Shaka iLembe Season 2 delivers a powerful, visually stunning continuation of the Shaka saga. The show ends on a post credit scene which shows the arrival of the British and the start of a new chapter in history. As South Africa’s most expensive series to date, and already its most awarded, the show continues to set a high bar. With confirmation of a third and final season, the story of Shaka is building toward an epic conclusion worthy of its subject.
Becoming The Muse 
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