Is it difficult to imagine spending just one day without being online? You’re not alone.  Whether it is updating our family and friends about what is on our minds or catching up on the news,  the internet has become an ordinary part of our day-to-day.

Instead of using the internet just for socialising, there are young South Africans who are building livelihoods and inspiring careers from social media platforms and various websites.

Here is a list of 5 individuals who have used the internet to create careers, run businesses and add to our culture:

Mpumelelo ‘Frypan’ Mfula – @frypanmfula

From selling sweets to his classmates in primary to founding the prolific online streetwear store which only houses local brands, RHTC, the spirit of entrepreneurship has always been a part of Frypan’s soul.

Starting the online business in 2016, gave Frypan the ability to not only connect with far-reaching customers and clients, it also gave RHTC time to build solid relationships with local brands. The physical RHTC store was established in Braamfontein, Johannesburg in 2017.

RHTC’s social media pages and the online presence of Frypan’s other ventures are working successfully as marketing tools. In February 2018, the store made history by having the longest recorded store queue for local brands in Africa. This momentous occasion was a brilliantly orchestrated marketing technique; South African rapper, Riky Rick, released his Cotton Club Records merchandise on that day and with every purchase, you got a free ticket to Frypan’s annual street culture festival, Lets Play Outside.

As a consumer and noteworthy producer of culture, Frypan is innovating perceptions on the commercial success of local streetwear brands.

Mogau Seshoene – @thelazymakoti

With a love for traditional South African food and the realisation that younger generations were unequipped to prepare these meals, Mogau created The Lazy Makoti. Her passion for South African cuisine was evident, so after an impromptu cooking lesson with a friend, she decided to start a cooking course focused on local dishes.

Instead of being financially burdened and physically restrained by a physical store, Mogau’s online presence is beneficial to the growth of her business.

Her business idea evolved into the digital world. She now has a 22 000-follower strong Facebook page where she shares helpful cooking tips and personal recipes.  The Lazy Makoti is now a  sustainable business, which also serves as an online store that sells kitchen accessories.
Tasmiyah Haffejee – @makeupsa_

Business-minded teenager, Tasmiyah imports global makeup brands as well as accessories and sells them via her Instagram account. With 12 700 followers, not only does Tasmiyah have a huge clientele but she has also been approached by major companies to review and promote their products.

Tasmiyah also made a deal with Dodo Lashes to distribute a discount code for her customers and in turn if the code is used, Tasmiyah makes a commission.

By meeting a demand, Tasmiyah has been able to not only financially profit from it but also become a reliable voice in the cosmetic industry and in turn have social influence from her online presence.
Lelo Macheke – @surburbanzulu

We all love GIFs, right?  Well, Lelo decided to make strictly South African GIFs to enhance our online expression.

It took three days of filtering through iconic moments in South African popular culture for Lelo to create a dropbox folder with over 200  GIFs.

For example, the hilarious moment when now Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene fell off his chair during a SABC2 Morning Live interview, or Da L.E.S.’s infectious dance moves in his Lifestyle video, and Unathi Msengana’s emotional reactions durings Idols South Africa auditions.

Lelo shared this link on his Twitter account and within nine hours the link was disabled. Thankfully, it is up an running again and available for us to add some humour and attitude to our online sharing.

Langa Mavuso – @langamav

After extensive training to hone his art, this Afro-Soul songbird used his social media accounts to circulate his music. Fully equipped to be a celebrated artist, Langa used his Instagram and Twitter accounts to deliberately catch the attention of the right people and create a solid fan base.

Langa is now signed to world-renowned DJ, Black Coffee’s, record label, Soulistic Music, and will be dropping his album later on this year.

You can listen to his song here:

This article is part of the Ilizwe Lam internet safety campaign driven by Facebook and Digify Africa. For more exciting content around the campaign, check out the campaign pages.

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