For a long time, being a creator in South Africa meant one business model: build an audience, then wait for brands to pay you to talk to it. That's starting to look like a first step rather than the whole plan.

A recent Mail & Guardian piece by Amahle Banda tracks the shift. Brands are still pouring money into creators, but creators are building podcasts, events and other businesses around their audiences. Some are also asking a bigger question: who actually gets the value those audiences create?

Creators as the new broadcasters

Weza Matomane, director of the South African Social Media Awards (Sasma), describes creators as the new broadcasters, given the audiences they pull and their influence on digital culture. His argument is that creators should get a bigger share of the value their audiences generate.

The comparison shows the gap. Broadcasters have settled business structures around their viewers. Most creators still rely on one-off brand partnerships and on monetisation tools that the platforms control.

That's the platform dependency problem. You can build a huge following and still have little say when an algorithm, an ad system or a payout policy changes. One update can cut your reach and your income overnight.

Why a collective voice matters

Matomane's answer is organisation. According to the M&G, he says creators need to organise and build a collective voice when they deal with the big tech companies.

If you go alone to TikTok or Meta, it’s business as usual.

— Weza Matomane, Director, South African Social Media Awards

A united voice, he says, could help creators "implement real change and negotiate policies with big industry players". Sasma is positioning itself as more than an awards show, calling for more investment and closer collaboration between creators, brands, platforms and government.

The bigger picture: jobs and connectivity

This matters beyond the creator bubble. Stats SA put youth unemployment at 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026. Matomane argues that because creators are building real income, skills and businesses, the sector should be treated as an industry, not a collection of side hustles.

Getting started is cheap: a smartphone and an internet connection. Turning that into a lasting business is harder, and takes consistency, production skills, marketing and commercial partners.

Connectivity is the other half of the story. OpenServe, which sponsors the awards, says it runs more than 180 000km of fibre and connects 97% of municipalities, and is expanding into townships and underserved areas. For creators, a reliable connection is the minimum for uploading, livestreaming and working with clients.

The cultural side is there too. This year's Sasma theme is "Culture in Motion", and the M&G points to amapiano as proof that a South African movement can travel worldwide, while podcasts and online video let creators build communities without relying entirely on traditional media.

What to do with this

  • Don't build on one income stream. Brand deals are great, but add something you control: a podcast, live events, a product, or fan memberships and tips.
  • Own a way to reach your audience. A mailing list or community off-platform means one algorithm change can't cut you off.
  • Treat it like a business. Consistency, production skills and marketing are what turn an audience into income. Invest in them.
  • Find your people. Join creator groups and industry bodies and compare notes on rates and platform terms. Platforms take a group more seriously than one creator.
  • Brands, think longer term. Creators with their own shows and communities are partners, not ad slots. Deals that respect that tend to last.

Source: South Africa's creator economy looks beyond brand deals for growth, Amahle Banda, Mail & Guardian, 28 August 2026. This article is frontcamera's summary and analysis; read the original for the full piece.