Ahead of the premiere of the highly anticipated Shaka iLembe, Lemongang Tsipa says he looks forward to seeing how his role on the show impacts his career.
The historical series, set in the late 1700s and 1800s, tells the story of the making of iconic African king Shaka Zulu, played by Lemogang (adult king) and newcomer actor Ntando Zondi (boy king).
A Dream Come True
“It’s a dream come true in the sense that we’ve always wanted to do these large-scale productions that have maximum production value, given a budget with the ability to dream. This is definitely going to shift the way people look at me.
“Playing a great King is definitely going to change peoples’ perspective of me. I think it will also help open a lot of opportunities because Shaka is one of the unique historical figures that is globally famous,” he tells news reporters.
Backlash and Support
Despite the backlash on social media questioning how he doesn’t have a Zulu name and doesn’t look like Henry Cele who portrayed the character of Shaka Zulu in the first infamous 1968 film, Lemogang’s mother Sally, who was at the show’s premiere in support of her son, says viewers will see him channel the man she raised in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal.
“I am Tswana, but Lemogang was raised in Empangeni. I raised my children with the culture of the Zulus.”
Throughout his career, Lemogang has captivated viewers when starring in Beyond The River and hit shows including Isithembiso, The Republic S2 as well as Blood Psalms. His mother says with this character they will appreciate his art form.
“I’m feeling very proud and grateful that he has succeeded so far. He is making me so proud as a mother especially when I hear about how he is behaving among other people.
“Because I didn’t know much about the entertainment industry I never said he would become this big but in 2018 when he was on The River I started to realize his talent more especially because he was acting so perfectly. But now with Shaka iLembe he really amazed me. I’m very excited for him.”