International Women's Month - She is the Story: The rise of Nomzamo Mbatha

In celebration of International Women’s Month, please find an editorial piece spotlighting Nomzamo Mbatha - renowned South African actress, accountant, television personality, businesswoman and human rights activist. Widely acclaimed for her powerful portrayal of Queen Nandi in Shaka iLembe, she also serves as Executive Producer for Seasons 2 and 3 of the series.

For CANAL+ and MultiChoice’s International Women’s Month campaign, which celebrates women whose stories ignite courage and possibility across the continent, Nomzamo Mbatha stands as a natural and powerful voice.

Her journey reflects the spirit of the campaign, a call to spotlight women who lead with resilience, intention and impact. And few stories embody that spirit more vividly than Nomzamo’s.

Raised largely by her paternal grandmother with both her parents present but often working far from home, she remembers her childhood as “beautiful,” shaped by love, discipline and the quiet confidence of a child who somehow always knew she was meant for more. “I had a secret life at school,” she says. At home, she was the obedient, softspoken daughter her father expected, and her straight-A report cards were all he needed. But at school, a different Nomzamo emerged, the public speaker and storyteller whom teachers adored. “School was my freedom,” she reflects. “It was the place where I could take charge of my own life.”

That instinct to take charge became a defining thread in her story. “I always wanted to be that woman with something in my hand that could uplift my life.”

Nomzamo’s entry into the entertainment world was modest and almost accidental. In 2012, she auditioned for Mzansi Magic’s telenovela, Isibaya, without realising it would become a cultural phenomenon that redefined South African television. It also changed her life. Under the mentorship of prolific producer Desiree Markgraaff, her first boss and later her business partner, Nomzamo learned to navigate the industry with purpose and clarity. “She reminded me of my greatness, kept me accountable and checked where I was setting my sights,” she says.

Their journey came full circle when Nomzamo became one of the executive producers of one of MultiChoice’s biggest success stories, Shaka iLembe, while also portraying Queen Nandi – a role she had dreamed of a decade earlier. “People showed me old interviews where I said I wanted to play Queen Nandi. Ten years later there I was.”  The project became one of the greatest highlights of her life. It employed more than 20 000 people, ignited national pride and cemented her place as a powerful creative voice. “It made me feel unstoppable,” she says. “It reminded me that some dreams chase you until they become true.”

Beyond her creative success, Nomzamo is intentional about service. Through the Nomzamo Lighthouse Foundation, she has supported 70 female entrepreneurs, many of whom returned with testimony of expansion, new contracts and transformed livelihoods. “It reminds me that success is not what you achieve for yourself. It is how far you get others.”

To Nomzamo, being a woman in Africa means being disruptive and powerful. “Everywhere I go in the world, when I see an African woman taking up space, I’m inspired. It reminds me that if it can happen to her, it can happen for me.” Her humanitarian commitments extend to her work with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). She has visited refugee camps across the continent, listened to survivors and advocated for displaced families.

Nomzamo’s guidance to young girls is rooted in clarity and self‑trust, encouraging them not to compare their step two to someone else’s step ten, but instead to find the passion that sets their bellies on fire. She reminds them to move at their own pace and stay in their own lane, surrounding themselves with the right people and seeking mentorship grounded in truth. Above all, she urges them to protect their joy.

Ahead lies more storytelling, more producing, more acting and deeper humanitarian impact. Nomzamo is inspired by the rise of African cinema on global stages and the growing appetite for authentic African stories told on a world-class scale. And through it all she remains grounded in the identity she will never outgrow – the girl from KwaMashu, South Africa, with a heavy schoolbag, a big imagination and a destiny shaped by the women who saw her, prayed for her and helped her rise.