The Galleria in Sandton was alight with colours of purple and pink last night, as the DStv Content Creator Awards, in Association with Samsung Galaxy, took centre stage. It wasn’t just another awards night but the biggest night in South African content creation.
You felt the buzz on social media leading up to the awards, and it came alive as nominees, guests, and fans thronged the Purple Carpet, with the awards’ TikTok Live giving viewers online access to the glitz and glam. Some of the personalities spotted on the carpet included Lasizwe, K Naomi, Julia Anastasopoulos, Pona Halo, Nomuzi ‘Moozlie’ Mabena, Kim Jayde, Candice Modiselle, Matt Flax, Farieda Metsileng, Carol Ofori, Karabo Poppy, Kefilwe Mabote and Lemii LoCo.
Donovan Goliath, the award-winning comedian and content creator, hosted the awards and navigated the night with energy and humour. Live music was curated and performed by SA legends Black Motion.
One of the country’s most powerful storytellers, authors, playwrights and performers, Gcina Mhlophe, officially opened the awards by reading a beautiful poem and blessing the awards and all the attendees, nominees and winners.
The show then kicked off with Bontle Modiselle Dance Studio lighting up the stage, accompanied by the Dance Award category nominees, 250Machine, Adriaan Hughes, Justin De Nobrega, Kelly KiKx and Mr NT.
A special moment was when the awards’ founder, Manuela Dias de Deus, expressed her vision for the awards. “Our idea has always been to put creators on the radar and open doors for emerging and established talent. The youth’s potential to monetise their content and create job opportunities is immense,” said Manuela. “More so, our vision is to make the awards the biggest event of its kind on the continent. We want to continue to grow and be on everyone’s feeds.”
Big dreams translated into big moments on the stage and throughout the night. The show was interrupted by unplanned loadshedding. Jokes guys! It was Suzelle DIY, who made a special guest appearance on stage to give the audience a good laugh and some tips on how to flip loadshedding on its head and to keep making entertaining content.
Ami Faku gave a powerful solo performance, while Birth of Stars paid tribute to the LGBTQI+ community, showcasing the journey of three young SA creatives: Kamo WW, Coachella Randy and Kagiso Mogola.
Bontle Modiselle and Lasizwe teamed up to perform a killer skit, paying homage to Beyoncé’s recent world tour, where she brought out Blue Ivy to perform the song “My Power”. The crowd went nuts. A powerhouse line-up of personalities presented the awards across the 19 categories, handing over the trophies specially designed by visual artist Shaun Oakley (aka Damn Vandal). The presenters included African Ginger, Kim Jayde, 947’s Matt Flax, Moozlie, Farieda Metsileng, Suzelle DIY aka Tali Babes, Tshepiso Sathekge and Renaldo Schwarp from MultiChoice and Kgomotso Mosiane from Samsung.
The awards also used the night to announce the launch of the Thumb Stopper Podcast which will give fans candid, intimate and behind-the-scenes access to some of their favourite content creators and influencers across South Africa. It launches exclusively on Spotify Podcasts for the first month. The awards celebrated 19 creators, with the first OG Award going to none other than Mihlali Ndamase. Her close friend, Lasizwe, did the honours of announcing the first-ever OG Award winner with a goosebumps moment of recognition for Mihlali and her achievements. As Mihlali couldn’t be there to accept her award, Lasizwe invited her mother, Mam Phumla Tshitende, onto the stage to receive the trophy.
The 2023 DStv Content Creator Awards winners are:
Cause/Social Commentary Award
Doctor Siya
Funniest Content Creator Award
Ikho Kweba
Visual Arts Award
Karabo Poppy
Best Brand Collaboration Award
essenceMediacom for Gillette #IndodaCanShave
Sports Fan Award
Lemii LoCo
Fashion & Style Award
Kefilwe Mabote
Emerging Creator Award, presented by 947
God’s Butler
Podcast of the Year Award, presented by Spotify
Podcast and Chill with MacG
Podcast Special Mention, presented by Spotify
African Story Magic with Gcina Mhlophe
Automotive Award
Juliet Mc Guire
Knowledge Sharing Award
Becoming Dr Andy
Thumb-Stopping Award
Donovan Goliath
The OG Award
Mihlali Ndamase
Alter-Ego Award
Sipho2Skiits – August (That Mozambican Dude)
Foodie Award
Mush Kitchen
Travel & Lifestyle Award, presented by LIFT
Wander with Iana
Dance Award
Justin de Nobrega
Sol Content Creator Award
Mandisi
Song of the Year Award
AKA ft. Nasty C – ‘Lemons (Lemonade)’
DStv Content of the Year Award
Tums the Narrator
“Telling great stories is in our DNA, and partnering with the DStv Content Creator Awards aligns with who we are as a business. We see the need to enrich the lives of young storytellers and encourage them to tell their own stories in their own way. We are thrilled to be part of this journey for the second year running and even more excited to see the winners coming out of this year,” says Tshepiso Sathekge, Senior Manager: Sponsorship, Multichoice SA.
The DStv Content Creator Awards is possible thanks to the commitment of like-minded brands and partners. A big shout-out to DStv, Samsung, 947, TikTok, Spotify, SOL, Steyn Entertainment, LIFT, Converse and One-eyed Jack. The journey of championing content creators is complete with their unwavering support.
To catch highlights from the night, hit up #DStvCCA on social media and head to the website for official event photos. A TV special of this year’s show will air on DStv Catch-Up later this year; more details to follow.
