South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha has portrayed some memorable characters over her career, but there’s one with a special historical significance that has given her a new-found freedom.
Mbatha, 35, is currently filming the third and final season of the critically acclaimed series “Shaka iLembe,” based on the life of arguably the most famous person in South African history, King Shaka Zulu. Mbatha plays his mother, Queen Nandi, a woman born around 1760 who, despite dealing with extreme poverty and rejection, managed to raise a man who became a preeminent Zulu leader.
Queen Nandi is celebrated as a founding figure of the Zulu nation and Mbatha said portraying her has been a privilege.
“It’s been the greatest honor of my life playing this woman,” she told CNN’s Larry Madowo while on set at the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage site some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Johannesburg.
As a result of the role, Mbatha said she has become “much more courageous, much braver and just stubborn. I was never a stubborn person.”
Groundbreaking series
“Shaka iLembe” is said to be the most expensive South African series ever produced, and the new season is expected to premiere sometime this year.
Mbatha, also an executive producer, said the show’s success comes from its unique approach to telling the story of the controversial leader. Shaka Zulu was described as a ruthless leader who expanded his kingdom through violence.
“The thing about ‘Shaka iLembe,’ the special thing about it, is that it tells a pre-colonial lens of Africa. And unfortunately, a lot of the big scale productions that we see have a colonial point of view to it or a colonial leaning towards it. This is something that said it will be completely disruptive and be completely for the people who are the custodians of this,” she explained.
The show, which employs about 200 crew members a day, has received global recognition. “South Africans … when it comes to ‘Shaka iLembe,’ have just been truly, truly supportive,”Mbatha said. “I’ve never seen people love a show like that and I don’t even think my name is Nomzamo anymore … everywhere I go it’s like ‘Queen Nandi, Queen Nandi.’”
When Hollywood calls
Mbatha is no stranger to the South African audience, having made her debut in the 2013 popular TV drama “Isibaya.” But she was introduced to the world stage in 2021, when she played the role of Mirembe in the hit-movie sequel “Coming 2 America.”
“I had impostor syndrome in the beginning because I thought, can I really do this? Can I pull this off? … Because it’s … a lead character, my first Hollywood film — and it was just an unbelievable experience,” she said.
Just months after “Coming 2 America” was released, Mbatha found herself on another Hollywood set, starring alongside film icon Bruce Willis. “Bruce was incredibly friendly, really lovely, so respectful, and also, he had that charm, you know, the Bruce Willis smirk,” she said. “One of the kindest people I’ve worked with.”
Mbatha is one of the last actresses to work with Willis, 70, who retired from acting in March 2022 following a diagnosis of aphasia, which has progressed to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a progressive, brain disease affecting communication, behavior, and personality.
Beyond acting
Mbatha has received numerous honors, including being named to the 2025 TIME100 Next list, being the first South African ambassador for the skincare company Neutrogena, and the hair care company Creme of Nature, and being the face of Levi’s curvy campaign. Despite her growing list of accomplishments, her desire to help others remains steadfast. It’s a passion she has had since age 14, when she traveled to Kenya as a Save the Children representative.
“It was the first time seeing kids from Somalia, from Sudan, from Cameroon, from Congo, from Kenya, and I just thought, ‘Wow, this is who we are.’ It sparked something inside of me and that’s when I knew; I’ve got to work for the United Nations one day,” she recalled.
That dream came true in 2019, when she became a representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In that role, she advocates for refugees across Africa through field missions.
Mbatha speaks during the “From Farms to Futures: Tracing the Impact of Farming Women” panel at Global Citizen NOW: Health and Climate Financing Sessions, September 25, 2024, in New York City. Rob Kim/Getty Images North America/Getty Images for Global Citizen
“I remember the first time that I did a refugee camp visit in Malawi … that’s when I was like, ‘oh, this is what it is.’ I can be able to explain it better to people so that when we hear of the injustices in the world, we don’t think that we need to just stand up for whatever’s affecting us in our backyard. That it’s ok for you to lean into something that’s beyond your own borders,” she explained.
In addition to her work with UNHCR, Mbatha supports the international advocacy organization Global Citizen, focusing on education and gender equality. That mission also drives the Nomzamo Lighthouse Foundation, a nonprofit she founded in 2015. She is also a climate advocate, becoming a global ambassador for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in 2024.
“Climate action affects every single part of our lives, and if you think it doesn’t affect your life, then you are living a lie … I think it’s important … to be able to power those who are doing something, who are finding really significant and scalable solutions,” she said.
Mbatha believes that because she is a “product of charitable efforts” — having gotten where she is because of the help given to her as a child from teachers and from the bursary she used to attend university — that it is her “moral duty” to help others. “If I can be able to use my voice and use my platform to make that difference, then I know that I would have done something really significant with my life,” she said.
As she continues that journey, Mbatha hopes to leave a legacy that will cement her place in history, just like Queen Nandi.
