• Princess Mkabayi is shown grabbing a man for sex in a scene that shocked the royal family.

• The royal house says it was not warned about the scene, which they say is disrespectful and false.

The Zulu royal family says they are angry about how Princess Mkabayi kaJama was shown in the latest episode of Shaka iLembe.

They are upset over a scene that shows her grabbing a man to have sex, even though they are not romantically involved. The royal family says this portrayal is false and humiliating.

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Prince Thulani Zulu, spokesperson for the eZibindini royal house, said they were never shown this part of the episode before the official screening.

"We were never given a chance to review the whole episode. Everyone knows Zulu people take sexual matters seriously. That scene was very embarrassing for the royal family," he said.

He added that the producers and historians need to fix this mistake because the show is based on real history.

Princess Mkabayi is known as one of the most powerful women in African history. She helped her father find a wife, Queen Mthaniya Sibiya, so that King Shaka's father, King Senzangakhona, could be born.

She also helped Shaka kill his brother Sgujana to become king. But later, she turned against Shaka and worked with Prince Dingane and Mbopha kaSithayi to kill him.

She was known as a strong leader and built her own army in Baqulusini, near Vryheid. Some believe she never had a partner and lived independently.

People on social media are upset that the show made her look like a woman who used sex to gain power or pass secrets. Others even said she might have been a lesbian, but that is not confirmed in history.

The royal family says they feel disrespected and want the show to tell Mkabayi's true story properly.