For Shakila Maharaj, accessibility is not an abstract idea. It is a lived experience. The founder and Chief Executive Officer of ShazaCin, a Durban-based start-up established in 2020, has spent the past two decades working to open the world of film, television, and tourism to people who are blind or visually impaired.
“I went blind in my early 20s 
after an injury I sustained in my pre-teen years — it was caused by a fall,” Maharaj recalls.
“I have always been interested in visual media. Despite going blind, I never stopped enjoying those experiences, but I was only able to go to the movies or tours if there were people who would describe what they saw to me.”
A visit to the United States of America in the early 2000s changed everything.
“I was amazed when I discovered that audio description was an actual art form and was recognised as an accessibility tool that complies with international standards. That was when I started to train in it.”
Back home, Maharaj began raising awareness. In 2010, she founded Audio Describe International, a side initiative while she was still working as an industrial psychologist.
Around 100 people were trained in audio description through these early efforts.
Her first major breakthrough came in 2016 when she partnered with the SABC to train isiZulu-speaking audio describers for the telenovela Sticks and Stones. Later, with the support of the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, she ran a film club that introduced blind audiences to cinema in an accessible way.
“I wanted the community to also be aware that they could enjoy film as much as everyone else.”
But it was the COVID-19 lockdown that brought a decisive shift. In 2020, Maharaj was invited by Smart Exchange, a non-profit organisation supporting small, medium, and micro-enterprises in the creative and technology space.
“Out of that, they said to me that they would fund me to start a new business as they only support start-ups. I already had the vision of a mobile application because at that stage, I had realised that our broadcasters and cinemas had no interest in supporting us blind persons. They were not going to invest in the infrastructure for audio description.”
Support from TIA
With backing from Smart Exchange and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), ShazaCin was born. The company developed a mobile application that syncs with films, shows, and tours, narrating visual elements like actions, settings, and expressions during natural pauses in dialogue. Today, the application is freely available on both iOS and Google Play.
“We started this business with just two of my directors – Mthokozisi Ntshingila and Prashant Maharaj.
“By the end of that year [2020], the team had grown to five. In 2021, I took on three interns and now, on average, we create about 15 jobs each year.”
Since its founding, ShazaCin has completed more than 60 projects, mainly focusing on local films and tourism tours. Yet challenges persist.
“We struggle to raise money because nobody pays for our work, and we have to fundraise. We enter innovation challenges and competitions. Every year we have managed to win an award and that money keeps us in jobs.”
A long-running contract with the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission has also provided some stability, but it ends this year.
Despite the struggles, Maharaj is brimming with anticipation for the Audio Description in Africa Symposium 2025, taking place from 13 to 14 October at the Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani in Durban. “This symposium is a South African first in inclusive storytelling. It’s about recognising audio description as a globally respected art form and showing how it can transform film, tourism, the arts, and more. For me, it’s a dream come true — to bring global leaders here, to showcase pioneering performances, and to prove that the blind community deserves to enjoy stories just as much as anyone else.”
For more information about ShazaCin, visit www.shazacin.com
The TIA can be reached at www.tia.org.za
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