At the 2025 National Film & TV Awards South Africa (SAFTA), Shaka iLembe swept the ceremony with multiple accolades and at the heart of this triumph are two of our own ALI SA Fellows: Desiree Markgraaff (Class III: Seriti) and Nomzamo Mbatha (Class XV: Khawuleza), who together, took home the Best Producer award for the groundbreaking series.
The epic drama—South Africa’s most ambitious television production to date—also claimed Best Scripted TV Series, Best Director (Angus Gibson), and Outstanding Performance awards for cast members Wiseman Mncube and Zamani Mbatha. This follows the series becoming the most awarded drama in SAFTA history, having won 12 Golden Horns in 2024.
For those who attended the ALI Africa Impact Forum 2025 in October, this achievement will resonate deeply. Desiree and Nomzamo joined us for a powerful Creative Showcase session, sharing how their vision for telling Shaka’s life story came to life—a vision rooted in celebrating precolonial history and reclaiming African stories through an authentically African lense.
The series achieved record-breaking viewership of 3.6 million viewers in South Africa in its first week, has employed close to 20,000 people across its seasons and sparked a nationwide dialogue about heritage, family history and community identity—a testament to the power of cultural storytelling as a tool for solidarity, pride and leadership.
Congratulations to Desiree and Nomzamo on this extraordinary recognition. Your vision, courage and commitment to reclaiming African narratives through world-class storytelling exemplify the values-based leadership at the heart of our fellowship.
Shaka iLembe’s awards success was covered by News24—read the highlights HERE.
