Inheritance & Inspiration

Ifalakhe’s executive producers take us inside creating the look and feel of this period drama.

- Ifalakhe

Ifalakhe (2019) is a story of kingdoms, bloodlines, betrayals, deadly prophecies and magic that has been set in South Africa’s pre-colonial past. And while the plot has us tuning in for more, we have been seduced by the work put in behind the scenes to create its complex world. Especially now that the prophecy has come true and King Khombindlela (Bheki Sibiya) is haunting his son Busani (Mxolisi Zuma) for killing him and seizing the throne from his first-born brother Ifalakhe (Chris Q Radebe). Headwriter and director Thuli Zuma created the show with her sister Gugu Zuma and Mmamitse Thibedi, who works with Gugu on Uzalo – they are Ifalakhe executive producers too. Thuli gave us a glimpse of the action…

OUR STORIES

Growing up, Thuli loved Zulu traditional stories (one of her favourite tales reveals why the hippo scatters its dung on the riverbank). “I loved the sense of adventure and possibility, as well as magic and surrealism. They featured people who looked and sounded like me, who lived in a world familiar to mine. They were also stories told and retold by the people I loved. Mouths that loved me, that I trusted,” she says.