Sitting down to watch Shaka iLembe, I thought I was in for a history lesson wrapped in drama – epic battles, royal intrigue, the familiar legend of King Shaka. But as the episodes unfolded, I found myself watching with the eyes of an entrepreneur. I did not expect it.
Beyond the story of a warrior, I saw a tale of vision, risk-taking, and innovation. An entrepreneurial journey centuries ahead of its time. It reminded me that our heritage has never been static; it has always been about resilience, creativity, and the boldness to shape destiny.
As SA ushers in Heritage Month, a season where we reclaim narratives long distorted by colonial lenses, Shaka iLembe emerges as more than just entertainment. It is a profound entrepreneurial adventure that resonates with the essence of our heritage.
In an age where African innovation is often confined to modern start-ups and tech hubs, Shaka’s story reminds us that entrepreneurship has been woven into the DNA of African societies for centuries. His life, reimagined on screen, gives us a blueprint for bold, risk-taking ventures that built empires and continue to shape futures.
Heritage Month calls us to honour our ancestors’ legacies, and Shaka iLembe does precisely that by humanising Shaka beyond the warrior stereotype. Portrayed with raw authenticity, his journey from an outcast illegitimate son to the architect of the Zulu kingdom exemplifies the entrepreneurial mindset: spotting opportunities in chaos, innovating under pressure, and scaling ideas to transform communities.
The Mfecane period (1815-1840), vividly depicted in the series, was a time of upheaval and disruption. Shaka didn’t merely endure it, he disrupted it. His iklwa spear and “bull horn” military formation weren’t just tactical tools.
They were disruptive innovations, akin to a start-up pivoting to outmanoeuvre competitors. In today’s terms, Shaka was the ultimate bootstrapped entrepreneur, turning limited resources into exponential impact.
Shaka’s ability to unite disparate clans into a cohesive nation was not merely a political feat but a masterclass in leadership and resource management. He understood the power of shared purpose, much like today’s entrepreneurs who rally teams around a vision to disrupt markets. His insistence on discipline and loyalty within his militia mirrors the modern start-up culture’s emphasis on cohesive teams and agile execution.
By forging alliances and absorbing rival groups, Shaka demonstrated a strategic acumen akin to mergers and acquisitions in today’s corporate world, ensuring scalability and sustainability. This entrepreneurial heritage finds vibrant echoes in modern SA.
Ntuthuko Shezi’s Livestock Wealth digitises the ancient view of cattle as currency, transforming what was once the backbone of Shaka’s diplomacy and economy into a fintech platform accessible worldwide.
Thandi Mavata’s Doek on Fleek Lifestyle reclaims the doek as a powerful cultural emblem, echoing Shaka’s mastery of symbols in unifying people and inspiring pride. Simangele Sibisi’s Indalo Nubian Naturals harnesses indigenous knowledge of African plants for modern beauty markets, much like Shaka drew on natural resources to craft tools that strengthened his empire.
Tshepo Moloi’s StokFella takes stokvels, long a cornerstone of African communal wealth and amplifies them through technology, centralising savings and empowering financial inclusion in ways Shaka himself might have recognised as a tool for collective strength.
What makes Shaka iLembe so powerful this Heritage Month is its unflinching portrayal of African agency. Produced with deep cultural consultation, the series dispels myths of a stagnant pre-colonial Africa. Instead, it reveals economic ingenuity – cattle economies functioning like venture capital, power centralised and scaled like modern enterprises, and merit-based leadership that echoes today’s entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Consider, for instance, how Shaka iLembe itself is a cultural and economic venture. The production employed local talent, from actors to costume designers, revitalising SA’s creative industries. This mirrors how Shaka used storytelling, through oral traditions and rituals, to build a shared identity among his people.
For me, the lesson is clear: heritage is not something we simply preserve in museums or festivals. It is a launch pad for contemporary innovation. In a world still grappling with inequality and disruption, Shaka’s story urges us to embrace risk, foster creativity, and build inclusive ventures.
Even the making of Shaka iLembe is entrepreneurial, reviving local storytelling industries, employing hundreds, and exporting African narratives globally. So as we celebrate this Heritage Month, whether gathered around a braai, donning traditional attire, or reflecting quietly, let’s remember Shaka not only as a warrior but as one of Africa’s original disrupters.
His entrepreneurial spirit, now reimagined on screen, is not imported; it is our inheritance. It is the fire we must pass on to the next generation of dreamers, builders, and risk-takers.
In celebrating Shaka iLembe, we are celebrating the entrepreneurial adventure that has always defined us. Let’s draw from that heritage to create, conquer, and thrive.
- Dr Zwane is a Nelson Mandela scholar, founder of YLED and a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science
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