Witch. Queen. Mother. She is many things to many people, but whichever title most draws you one thing’s certain: Ntombazi will captivate you. Like Nandi, she is devoted to her children. When her son Goloza was born differently, she refused to abandon him. Instead, she hid him in a cave with her faithful hyenas and Nyengelezi acting as bodyguards … until the time was right for Goloza to take his rightful place in the palace. And that time came … along with the rain.
Zwide, Ntombazi’s other son, may have been reluctant about accepting his brother at first, but his mother’s love and determination made him realise they would be stronger together. The queen seems to have taken something of a backseat now that her sons are ruling the roost, but it’s what she wanted all along. But knowing this queen, she won’t stay silent for long ... Well, she better not, because the fans will have something to stay if she's too quiet or if we don't get to see her and her boys on our screens.
This powerful character needed an actress who could bring across the might and majesty of Ntombazi. They found just that in Khabonina Qubeka. She has slayed this role nine ways to Sunday since we first saw her in episode 1.
Qubeka is a versatile artist. She’s an actress, as well as a dancer, choreographer, and singer. You’ll have seen her at work before in shows like The Wild and Isidingo. She impressed in the film Dora’s Peace, winning an Indie Spirit Award for Best Actress at the Boston International Film Festival. And let’s not forget her role as Gugu Dhlamini in She is King.
If you’ve missed any episodes with this queen, be sure to catch up on Shaka iLembe with DStv Stream here.
Make sure you tune in every Sunday at 20:00 on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) for new episodes or stream live from the DStv App via web or mobile. Repeats air Fridays at 21:30.
For more info on the series, produced by the acclaimed Bomb Productions, visit the show page here or follow #ShakaiLembeMzansi on social media. Shaka iLembe is headline sponsored by Telkom. Associate sponsors are Grant’s Whisky and LottoStar, while tactical sponsors are Santam and Toyota SA.