There is an abundance of telenovelas and soap operas available to South African viewers. The list includes timeless masterpieces like Scandal, Generations: The Legacy, Uzalo, Skeem Saam, and Umkhoka.

Another show vying for viewers’ attention is Queendom, which is presented by Hamilton Dlamini, Sindi Dlathu, and Linda Mtoba.Tuesday night, BET hosted the show’s premiere at Bryanston’s Kings Kraal.

 

 

The telenovela Queendom, which will premiere on Monday, April 22, 2024, at 18:30, tells the story of Ntandokayise Mthombeni, played by Linda Mtoba, a strong young woman leading her community in Tsakane, and her mother, Tholakele Mthombeni (played by Sindi Dlathu), who has been concealing her daughter’s rightful place on the Khahlamba throne for thirty years.The family of the Khahlamba Kingdom, represented by Dawn Thandeka King as Queen MaNdlovu, Hamilton Dlamini as her husband King Banzi Khahlamba, and Pallance Dladla as Prince Mcebo Khlahlamba, contrasts their story with theirs, highlighting issues of power struggles and tradition.

Monde Twala, senior vice president and general manager of Paramount, explains to TRUELOVE why it was important for the company and BET International to tell this story.“Queendom reflects who we are. It’s about storytelling from an African perspective. It’s about an elevation of who we are from a cultural perspective but also a contemporary perspective. It’s about simplicity of who we are, you know. Celebrating our diversity of our continent, celebrating our diversity of Africans and South Africans.

“I think Queendom really is going to be that opportunity for us to really flip the script on patriarchy, showcase a new world where Black women are at the centre of storytelling, at the centre of elevating and celebrating Black love, Black joy, Black experiences through, like I said earlier, the vessel that is the storytellers that we are.”Linda Mtoba takes on the lead role and tells us about how much she enjoys portraying the strong Ntandokayise.

“I think I love bringing Ntandokayise to life because she has such a life, one, and the life that many South Africans relate to especially young women who are trying to make it against the world.We have a young girl from Tsakane who’s aspiring to be a lawyer and she’s now almost 30 years old, she’s turning 30, and in that you have the duality of it but that hasn’t stopped her from journeying far and actively pursuing that dream.”