Zanele Mthembu

Zanele Mthembu

Zanele is the MD and Executive Producer at Brown Panther Films, a part-time lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology, and currently serves as the Acting Head of Programmes at Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT), a voluntary non-profit organisation committed to empowering women working in the film and television industry. Zanele has 30 years of experience working in various positions across Broadcasting and TV and Film production. She began her career at Penguin Films and moved on to work for Discovery Communications, Inc. in the USA. Some of her strategic roles were at eMedia where she was Group Head of Content and later served as Executive Head of Channel at Newzroom Afrika.

Zanele is a former Council member of the National Film and Video Foundation Council and Board Chair of SWIFT. She has served as a Jury member for the SA Film and TV Awards, Guangzhou International Documentary Awards, Wild Screen Documentary Film Festival Awards, Encounters South African International Festival Award and other international awards. She is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Institute and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

As an Executive Producer, Zanele has worked on two South African feature films, “Otelo Burning” and “Felix.” She is currently working on her first feature documentary and feature film under Brown Panther Films.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Zanele leverages her personal experience as a chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient and kidney transplant recipient to educate and raise awareness about CKD. She is particularly focused on encouraging organ donation within the Black community.

Driven by a desire to inspire and use her knowledge, skills, and expertise for meaningful work, Zanele is committed to making a positive impact both in her industry and in the broader community.