South African Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has advised TikTok to expand in South Africa:
“South Africa has over 17 million TikTok users, and these users are shaping global culture. This makes it the ideal place for TikTok to expand its Creator Fund in Africa,”
Malatsi mentioned that his meeting with TikTok leadership was very positive:
“South African creators deserve full access to all monetization opportunities on the platform. TikTok has committed to taking this feedback into account, and our engagements will continue,”
“Let’s recognize our creators and reward their impact fairly.”
According to the 2023 South African Social Media Research conducted by World Wide Worx, TikTok became the second most used social media platform in the country, surpassing Instagram.
The trend continues in 2024, with further growth reported. Additionally, the usage of TikTok by large companies has significantly increased.
The research indicated that the percentage of brands using TikTok in South Africa rose from 28% in 2023 to 33% in 2024.
However, despite this rising usage, TikTok still holds a relatively small share of advertising budgets.
According to the research, brands only allocate 3% of their advertising budgets to TikTok. In comparison, Facebook accounts for 28%, LinkedIn for 24%, and Instagram for 11%.