Last year, South African Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa posted a TikTok video about peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, explaining a dispute between the South African and Rwandan presidents and listing roles different ethnic groups would play in a war. The video went viral, gaining 100,000 followers in three days.
This breakout allowed Jaxa to pivot from marketing and restaurant entrepreneurship to becoming a "professional yapper and current affairs enthusiast," part of a group of content creators explaining news to young South Africans who, like global peers, are eschewing traditional media for social media.
According to the Reuters Institute's 2025 Digital News Report, social media users in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria (the three African countries surveyed) were far more likely to pay attention to news creators than those in northern Europe and Japan. In Nigeria, 61% of respondents did so, followed by Kenya (58%) and South Africa (39%).
Jaxa, 32, started explainer videos after an argument with her younger brother about not voting, realizing "the generation coming after me was very disinterested." She sees herself as a translator of news for younger generations, not a replacement for traditional media, which she relies on for content.
Kenyan Valerie Keter entered news creation by chance in 2023 after a reaction video on a historical drama series. Her most popular video, "Why Europe Colonised Africa Easily," has 3.7 million views on Instagram. Keter says her main audience is aged 25-34, who see her as relatable.
Nigerian Bello "Dan Bello" Galadanchi became a news addict after a Boko Haram bombing in 2011. Now a 38-year-old teacher based in Beijing, he creates satirical analysis videos in Hausa with English subtitles, targeting government officials. He has over 2 million TikTok followers.
Experts note that news creators on social media now compete with legacy media, but this shift may widen the digital divide: in South Africa, 21% of households lacked internet access in the 2022 census, many in rural areas.
Source: www.theguardian.com