55 minSeason 1 • Episode 10
LatestA long-ago foretold prophecy comes to pass when a proposal to negotiate a peaceful alliance between the Zulu Empire and Great Britain fails. Zulu Queen Mother Nandi finally dies, and Shaka, knowing his own fate is sealed, goes into a self-destructive rampage. Farewell returns to Zululand and meets with Shaka, who abandons his reign of terror. Shaka is finally murdered and his empire falls apart.
South Africa, 1823. The Zulu Empire, headed by King Shaka, a brilliant but ruthless military strategist, begin to encroach on the British colony of Cape Town. A volunteer cadre of explorers, mercenaries and professional soldiers are sent to Zululand to try to make contact with Shaka and assess the real threat of his army.
Acting
Henry Cele's commanding, terrifying, weirdly charismatic Shaka.
Production
Massive practical battle scenes with thousands of actual extras.
Costume
Elaborate Zulu regalia and threadbare British uniforms in striking contrast.
Creator
William C. Faure
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Henry Cele was a soccer player with zero acting experience when cast; his physical presence was so commanding they built the production around him.
The series became controversial in South Africa for both white viewers (who found Shaka too sympathetic) and Black viewers (who found the British perspective too dominant).
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
ZA
