Tumisho Masha is best known for his portrayal of Dumisani Thusong in popular soapie Isidingo, and also for his role as a presenter on magazine show Top Billing. He also played Modise Tladi in M-Net’s high-budget soap opera The Wild, while his film credits include parts in Beyond Borders, alongside Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen, and in Drum, about the SA investigative journalist Henry Nxumalo.

According to the Daily Sun, news of the actor’s new role was revealed during a Johannesburg function on Friday.

Mandela’s Gun will specifically deal with the eight months prior to Nelson Mandela’s arrest in 1962, a time in which he received military training in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, ahead of the formation of ANC military wing, Umkhonto weSizwe.

“I felt it was a particularly South African story. I thought in the past, maybe because of commercial wisdom, South Africans have been overlooked by the Americans who have had an interest obviously in making and telling the story of Mandela several times over,” British director John Irvin told SunBuzz.

“But I just think it was time now that South Africans should tell their own story. And also, as I’m British, I needed all the help I could get. I needed someone to tell me if I was going wrong.”

Commenting on the honour of landing such a high-profile role, Masha said: “I can’t wait to shoot this film. I’m happy to be the very first South African actor to play the statesman’s role.

“I have researched my character well and I’m confident that I’ll deliver a convincing portrayal of Mandela.”

With the title referring to a gun Mandela received from Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, Mandela’s Gun is currently set to be released in May 2014.