South Africa's
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has secured
commitments from TikTok to expand monetization opportunities for local creators
during high-level discussions at the platform's Safer Internet Summit in Cape Town.
The minister's intervention comes as South Africa emerges as TikTok's
fastest-growing African market, with over 17 million users driving global
digital trends.
Minister
Malatsi noted the economic imperative behind his push during closed-door
negotiations with TikTok executives. "South African creators are
shaping global digital culture yet face disproportionate barriers in accessing
revenue streams available to creators in other regions," stated
Malatsi following the summit. His advocacy builds on South Africa's position as
the continent's most mature digital content economy, with local creators
generating viral trends that regularly achieve billions of views worldwide.

TikTok
leadership acknowledged the strategic importance of the South African market
and committed to reviewing monetization policies following the minister's
representations. The platform's Vice President for Public Policy confirmed
ongoing evaluations of the Creator Fund's expansion to additional African
markets, with South Africa positioned as the likely launchpad for these
enhanced offerings.
The discussions
form part of South Africa's broader digital economy strategy that recognizes
content creation as a formal employment sector. Recent data from the Digital
Content Creators Association reveals South African creators generate over R2.8
billion annually through platform monetization, brand partnerships, and
derivative economic activities – figures expected to double with improved
access to TikTok's revenue programs.
As follow-up to
the summit, the Department of Communications will establish a working group
with TikTok Africa to develop localized monetization frameworks that address
unique market challenges, including currency conversion limitations and payment
infrastructure gaps.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye