The highly anticipated second season of Shaka ILembe might not air as planned, as production has reportedly been delayed due to historical inaccuracies in the script. Sources close to Bomb Productions, the company behind the popular series, revealed to Sunday World that filming was halted after they discovered the script was filled with errors about King Shaka’s reign.
The second season was expected to pick up where the first left off, continuing the story of Shaka’s prophesied rule. However, according to DStv, the season had already been filmed before the production team realised that the information they had on King Shaka’s reign was incorrect. The issue stems from receiving inaccurate details, allegedly from a member of the Mhlongo family, which led to the suspension of filming.
According to Sunday World, a source close to the production shared, “The problem is that Bomb Productions does not have this information. They need someone from the Mhlongo clan to share correct details on Shaka’s reign. In fact, one of the family members, Nqobani Mhlongo, gave them the wrong information. They started shooting Season 2 and realized too late that they were misguided. As a result, the production was halted.”
The production team’s attempts to rectify the situation have not gone smoothly. According to insiders, Bomb Productions even sent a researcher to Mhlathuze Mhlongo, hoping to gather the correct historical information, but the Mhlongo family member rejected their request.
A second source accused the first season of Shaka ILembe of distorting Zulu history, saying it was filled with inaccuracies. “The first season was nothing but a distortion of Zulu history,” the source claimed.
When approached for comment, Nqobani Mhlongo confirmed he had been contacted by Bomb Productions but denied providing incorrect information. “I was contacted last week by a senior official from Bomb Productions. She needed information, but I was too busy to engage with her,” said Nqobani. “She acknowledged that they made mistakes in Season 1 and wanted to correct them. I asked her how they planned to fix those mistakes in Season 2, but she couldn’t answer me.”
Mhlathuze Mhlongo, a spokesperson for the Mhlongo clan, expressed frustration with the production company. “We’ve dealt with Bomb Productions, and they proved to be dishonest. For Season 1, we gave them the correct information, but they chose to distort it. They intentionally misled the public. For example, they claimed Queen Nandi was married, which never happened. Now they want to continue and do more damage. We won’t cooperate unless they do the right thing,” Mhlathuze stated.
In response to the claims, a spokesperson for MultiChoice, Portia Hlongwane, denied that the first season contained any errors. “MultiChoice and Bomb Productions are not aware of any errors in Season 1 of Shaka ILembe, nor have they communicated anything of the sort,” Hlongwane said. “Furthermore, production on Shaka ILembe Season 2 has not been halted. The production team has always respected the relevant processes, and the Mhlongos were consulted for both seasons, among other key stakeholders.”
