The much-anticipated story of the Zulu King is being threatened with legal action by three families who claim that the product has stolen intellectual property from them.
The Mhlongo, Mthethwa and Mbatha families have taken up arms to stop the series from getting released because of unresolved issues with the show’s producers.
According to reports by Sunday World, the families claim that they helped a great deal in the story’s development, sharing crucial historical information to help with the accuracy.
The Mholngo family says they were consulted and taken to a hotel where they stayed for three days. The family says they even took the production to where Shaka grew up as a teenager.
The family says they were filmed while they narrated the stories about the King and his mother, Queen Nandi.
Mhlathuze Mhlongo says they also showed the production where Nandi bathed every morning, saying they have this information because Queen Nandi belonged to the Mhlongo clan.
The Mthethwa family representative said they called the producers several times and were ignored and excluded from the production. He said they regard that as theft of intellectual property.
The family said that the production wouldn’t be able to release the series until this issue was resolved.
Shaka Ilembe is produced by Bomb productions of Yizo Yizo and House Of Zwide fame. One of the producers of Shaka Ilembe is Nomzamo Mbatha, who also plays Queen Nandi’s role in the series.
The show is expected to be released in 2023 on DSTV’s Mzansi Magic.
The series has gone to great deals in telling the real story of Shaka, and the marketing for this product has been massive.
The cast consists of heavy hitters like Mondli Makhoba, Khabonina Qubeka, and recently Dawn Thandeka King, who joined the cast as Mkabayi Ka Jama.
The promos have started to roll out for this production on South African screens.
The production solicited help from Zulu Kings and Chiefs like King Goodwill Zwelithini and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi for accurate Zulu cultural ceremonies and rituals.
The Mhlongo, Mthethwa, and Mbatha families have threatened to court interdict the show. They are threatening to put the production on hold until the producers do right and compensate them accordingly.