Watching us is like watching a cousin': the online creators reshaping Africa's news ecosphere

"Last year Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa posted a TikTok video about South African peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She explained an argument that had erupted between the South African and Rwandan presidents, then listed roles different South African groups would play in a war with Rwanda: the Sotho strategists, the Xhosa negotiators, the Afrikaner muscle. The video went viral and she racked up 100,000 followers in three days."

"This breakout video enabled Jaxa to pivot from being a marketing and restaurant entrepreneur to a professional yapper and current affairs enthusiast, part of a group of content creators explaining the news to young South Africans who, like many of their global peers, are eschewing traditional news in favour of social media. According to the 2025 global Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute, social media users in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria were much more likely to report paying attention to news creators than their equivalents in much of northern Europe and Japan."

"In Nigeria, 61% of respondents said they paid attention to news creators, just ahead of Kenya (58%), which in turn was far ahead of Indonesia, which was third, at 44%. The figure for South Africa was 39%. The three African countries were also in the top four of those surveyed for a metric that aimed to assess the impact of news creators on social media users."

"Jaxa considers herself to be a translator of the news for younger generations, not a replacement: I don't exist if there is no traditional media, because a"

A viral TikTok video about South African peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo helped a creator gain followers quickly and shift into professional current-affairs content. The creator framed her work as translating news for younger generations rather than replacing traditional media. A Reuters Institute Digital News Report for 2025 found that social media users in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria were more likely to pay attention to news creators than users in much of northern Europe and Japan. Nigeria led with 61% of respondents, followed by Kenya at 58% and Indonesia at 44%, while South Africa was 39%. These countries also ranked highly for measures of news-creator impact on social media users.

Read at www.theguardian.com