With an array of South African YouTubers popping up every other day, Stellenbosch seems to be lagging behind when it comes to the YouTube scene.
This is despite the platform’s rapid expansion in recent years, with ordinary South Africans making a name for themselves through the original and resourceful content that they create.
Sefako Mathibe (23), one of the very few bright and talented creatives in Stellenbosch, is one of those who has managed to take advantage of the YouTube platform by creating videos that will give you a serious chuckle.
Sefako Mathibe in Hong Kong during a recent trip abroad. PHOTO: Instagram
“I think people like my energy, not to toot my own horn, but a lot of people encouraged me to start a YouTube channel because they said my positivity and the fact that I’m always so happy, is infectious,” Mathibe notes.
Mathibe says he is surprised that very few Stellenbosch students have taken to the YouTube scene, especially considering the fact that YouTube is generally free for registered students.
“I’ve been doing this for a year and a bit, but I’ve only come across three or four YouTubers in Stellenbosch. I just don’t think Stellenbosch has that YouTube culture yet,” he adds.
Students at the University of Cape Town (UCT), however, seem to have capitalised on YouTube’s fast-growing popularity with YouTubers such as Sibu Mpanza, Snikiwe Mhlongo and the ladies of Pap Culture (Thembe Mahlaba, Nwabisa Mda and Bongeka Masango), being amongst the most popular in the country.
“YouTube for me, poses a fantastic platform that allows young people like me to have our voices heard. In addition, it allows people from all over the world to see what I do,” says Edward Keenan Jacobs (21), a law student at Stellenbosch University (SU).
Edward Keenan Jacobs on the set of “The en pointe show with Ed” in Kuilsriver. PHOTO: Supplied
Jacobs hosts a weekly satirical news show on YouTube and shares a similar sentiment to Mathibe with regards to the lack of YouTubers in Stellenbosch. “I do believe we have a lot of talent, especially people of colour, we have lots of things to say and lots of stories to tell,” he adds.
In describing his channel he says, “we basically unpack the week’s news, so things that are happening in both politics and pop culture, but in a comedic way so that it is palatable and easily digestible for our audience.”
Lucian Van Wyk (23), a final year BA student at SU, says many of his friends have encouraged him to start his own YouTube channel. “I usually post funny videos on Instagram or WhatsApp – sometimes they are serious like advocating for mental health issues,” says Van Wyk.
“I haven’t started a channel yet because I’m in my final year and I simply don’t have the time or the equipment,” he adds.
As the number of South African YouTubers continues to rise, Jacobs notes that, “the resource is there to tap into, it’s all about who wants to take advantage of it I guess.”
– Judy Philander & Alundrah Sibanda