Shaka Zulu

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.

Shaka Zulu (1986) is a South African historical miniseries created by William C. Faure for SABC 1, a ten-episode epic aired as a single continuous story. Henry Cele plays Shaka, the brilliant and ruthless king who builds a formidable military machine in Zululand, opposite Edward Fox as Lieutenant Francis Farewell, a British officer leading a volunteer cadre of explorers, mercenaries and professional soldiers. Robert Powell plays Dr. Henry Fynn, and Trevor Howard appears as Lord Charles Somerset, while Dudu Mkhize plays Nandi, the mother whose bond with Shaka shapes his ambition. The engine of the series is the tense push and pull between a European expedition trying to make contact and assess the real threat of Shaka's army, and an African empire determined to expand and defend itself. Each episode builds the sense of two worlds colliding under rising pressure, with palace intrigue, diplomacy, and battlefield ferocity steadily advancing the story. Set in 1823 across Zululand and the British colony at Cape Town, the drama carries a sweeping, grave and sometimes harrowing tone, where colonial arrogance and African sovereignty face each other. Fans of Roots, Shogun and Zulu will find resonance in its epic scale, its colonial power struggle and its unflinching historical scope.

Audiences rate this epic miniseries positively, valuing its ambitious scale and its portrayal of the Zulu leader's rise.

• Rootsepic historical miniseries, colonial power struggle, large-scale African-set drama
• Shogunwar and politics epic, sweeping historical scope, military strategy and empire
• Zulucolonial encounter drama, British imperial ambition, African kingdom at the center

Created by

William C. Faure

Release Date

1986-10-24

Episode runtime

55 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (143)

What is Shaka Zulu about?

A 1980s South African miniseries dramatizing the 1823 encounter between the rising Zulu Empire under King Shaka and a British expedition sent to assess the threat.

What is Shaka Zulu like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shaka Zulu as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Shaka Zulu violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Shaka Zulu as brutal.

What did critics think of Shaka Zulu?

Audiences rate this epic miniseries positively, valuing its ambitious scale and its portrayal of the Zulu leader's rise.

Which shows are like Shaka Zulu?

Shows with a similar feel include Roots, Shogun, and Zulu.

How long is Shaka Zulu?

Shaka Zulu: 1 season, 10 episodes.

Is Shaka Zulu still running?

No, Shaka Zulu has ended.