Luyanda Zuma, a former Miss South Africa Top 10 finalist, is stepping into the world of acting — and she’s doing it with a bang. The 23-year-old beauty queen is set to join the cast of the popular historical drama Shaka iLembe in its much-awaited second season, premiering on 15 June at 8pm on Mzansi Magic.
Luyanda will play a brand-new character named Liyana, who promises to shake things up in Shaka’s love life. Fans of the series can expect a fresh and unexpected storyline as her character enters the scene. Originally from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, Luyanda is more than just a pretty face. Alongside her achievements in modelling, where she has walked international runways and appeared on magazine covers, she has also studied acting and is passionate about telling powerful stories.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Luyanda opened up about how excited — and nervous — she is to make her acting debut in such a big production.
“If I am being honest, I think I come in as a different tone to what we’ve already been exposed to in terms of Shaka’s love life,” she said. “So, I come in as an element that I think is going to surprise a lot of people. So, am I scared about how that part of the story is going to be received? Of course. However, we have to understand that we’re all telling stories that are based on real-life people.”
Luyanda also spoke about the unique challenges of playing a historical character and the importance of balancing fact with creativity.
“I think stepping into those shoes and having to then fill gaps between thinking about whether my character was there or was my character not there, you know… It’s like you kind of have to find the balance between being able to then tell a story authentically according to what you’ve been told by the script. But then do your own research,” she said.
