With KFC Eswatini bringing back its collaboration with Black Mamba, the announcement arrives through a familiar group of digital personalities, brought together under the creative direction of Zindzi Thwala.
The new advert brings eight local digital creators into one production to announce the return of the KFC and Black Mamba range.
Among those featured are Bantu Nots, comedian Ndosh, Sifiso Nxumalo and Luyanda Dlamini, each bringing an established digital presence and a different style of communication to the campaign.
For Thwala, who is KFC Eswatini’s ambassador, the production is another example of how local creators are becoming part of the way brands communicate with consumers.
Rather than building the advert around one personality, the campaign brings several creators together and gives each of them a place within the same commercial. The result is a short-form advertisement that moves between different personalities while keeping the product announcement at its centre.
The return of the collaboration itself connects two locally recognised brands. Black Mamba’s partnership with KFC Eswatini previously introduced the Black Mamba Dunked Collective, pairing KFC’s chicken with Black Mamba’s peri-peri sauces.
Black Mamba described the product as being made in Eswatini and positioned the collaboration as an example of local production meeting an established food brand.
The latest campaign brings that product story back into the public conversation, but it also puts attention on the people behind the communication.
Thwala’s role is particularly notable because her work on the campaign extends beyond appearing as the face of KFC. Her involvement in bringing together the creators places her on the production side of the campaign, where casting, coordination and presentation become important to how the final advertisement comes together.
Her relationship with KFC has already included campaign work. In January, KFC Eswatini’s nationwide rollout of soda fountains was headlined by Thwala, alongside the launch of its Box Clever Saucy Edition and the ‘Win The Good Life’ consumer promotion.
That campaign followed a broader approach by KFC Eswatini of using local creative talent in its marketing. The company has previously worked with local artists and content developers, including a campaign with Yebo Art Gallery that used murals and local visual artists to connect the brand with Eswatini’s creative culture.
The new Black Mamba campaign continues that use of local talent, but this time through the country’s growing digital creator community.
For the creators involved, the advert also demonstrates how digital personalities are moving into more structured commercial productions.
Creators who have built audiences through comedy, lifestyle, entertainment and personal-brand content can now appear together in campaigns designed for television and digital platforms.
That shift requires more than simply putting popular faces in front of a camera. A commercial needs a clear message, a consistent visual treatment and personalities who can work within the requirements of a brand.
Bringing eight creators into one production therefore places greater importance on how the campaign is organised and presented.
Thwala’s own background sits across content creation, communications and brand work. She has worked with brands including Puma Africa, MTN and Oracle Group and was recognised in 2025 through the Forbes Women Africa Content Creator Club.
Her approach to the KFC campaign reflects that combination of communication and content. The creators provide the personalities, while the production gives them a common setting and purpose: announcing that the KFC and Black Mamba range is back.
The campaign also reflects a wider change in how brands can use local creators. Instead of treating influencers as an additional social media placement after a campaign has already been developed, creators can be incorporated into the creative process itself.
For Thwala, the KFC and Black Mamba campaign provides another opportunity to demonstrate that side of her work. She is visible in the campaign as KFC’s ambassador, but the production also shows her ability to assemble talent around a commercial message and present it in a format that works across television and social media.
As the KFC and Black Mamba range returns, the advert therefore carries two messages. One is about the food collaboration coming back to customers. The other is about the growing role of Eswatini’s digital creators in the country’s commercial advertising space.
