South Africa’s Arts Minister slams social media for cheating African content creators: 'Pay us fairly'

Gayton McKenzie, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance and South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, has raised serious concerns about the unequal treatment of African social media content creators compared to their counterparts overseas.

McKenzie argues that platforms such as TikTok and YouTube are giving African creators an unfair deal, despite their contributions to the global digital landscape. Speaking passionately on the issue, he declared,

The bigger issue here is that we cannot allow African children to be treated like stepchildren when it comes to content. We can’t allow that.

He urged African government ministers to unite in addressing this disparity.

We need to sit down, as African ministers, and talk about issues that affect our people. Our children and creators must be paid like other content producers around the world. We are a sovereign people, and we can’t let one group of people become millionaires while others go unpaid.

McKenzie likened this unjust treatment to the days of apartheid, insisting it is unacceptable for African creators to remain marginalised.

Apartheid has been abolished; we can’t allow this to happen. It is absolute nonsense, and it should be addressed, he said.

Content creators worldwide generate income through advertising and sponsorships based on their social media following. However, many African creators claim they are paid significantly less than creators in other regions for producing similar work. McKenzie is calling for systemic changes to ensure African talents receive equal pay for equal work.