South Africa Renews Pressure on TikTok to Pay Local Creators, as Africa Stays Locked Out of Creator Rewards

South Africa's Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Solly Malatsi, has renewed his call for TikTok to let South African creators earn from the platform the way creators in richer markets do. "It's a form of economic exclusion that we're trying to fight against for the benefit of the South African content creator," he said, MyBroadband reports. TikTok's Creator Rewards Programme, which pays creators directly for their videos, remains unavailable across Africa, Techpoint Africa notes.

What the Minister Is Asking For

Malatsi's argument is about parity. "We're advocating for the same equal treatment of content creators in South Africa, as they do in the US, as they do in the UK," he said, IOL reports. He argues that local creators help drive global trends on the platform while being shut out of the earning opportunities their counterparts abroad get from the same kind of content.

The scale of the audience is the backbone of the case. TikTok can reach 29.1 million South African adults, about 56.4 percent of the country's internet users, according to Techpoint Africa.

How TikTok Has Responded

TikTok has pointed to other ways African creators can earn, including virtual gifts during livestreams, rather than committing to extend the Creator Rewards Programme to the continent, Techpoint Africa reports. The company said something similar in April 2025, when Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok's head of content operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, said the programme then ran in only seven markets and that "it is important to correct the notion that Africa has been deliberately excluded," ITWeb reported. MyBroadband says TikTok had not commented on whether it would expand monetisation to South African creators by the time of publication.

The Tiktok Logo

A Campaign That Has Been Running for Months

This is not a new complaint. Malatsi first raised the issue with TikTok at its Safer Internet Summit in Cape Town in March 2025, Techpoint Africa reported at the time. By July 2026 he was telling reporters "I refuse to accept" the company's explanation, and said he wanted to bring other countries on board to strengthen Africa's bargaining position, EWN reported. Some creators have also called for a boycott, according to Techpoint Africa.

Why This Reaches Beyond South Africa

The gap Malatsi is describing is continental. A Nigerian, Kenyan or Ghanaian creator with millions of views faces the same missing payout programme, and the question of whether a platform that earns from African attention shares that revenue is one African governments and creators will keep asking. PINCHED has already looked at how little a stream can be worth to an artist in what a stream is actually worth to an African artist, and the TikTok dispute is the same question asked about short video.

What to Watch Next

The test is whether Malatsi can turn a public campaign into a commitment. No deadline has been set, and TikTok has so far offered gifting and similar tools rather than a timeline for Creator Rewards. If other African governments join him, the pressure on the company changes from one minister's complaint to a regional negotiation.

This article is a news report. TikTok had not responded to the minister's latest comments in the reports PINCHED reviewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Did Solly Malatsi Say About TikTok?

Malatsi called TikTok's exclusion of South African creators from its reward programme "a form of economic exclusion" and asked for the same treatment creators receive in the US and UK.

Is TikTok's Creator Rewards Programme Available in Africa?

No. The programme remains unavailable across Africa, according to Techpoint Africa. TikTok says it offers other tools, including gifts on live streams.

How Many South Africans Use TikTok?

TikTok can reach about 29.1 million South African adults, roughly 56.4 percent of the country's internet users, according to Techpoint Africa.

How Has TikTok Responded to the Criticism?

TikTok has pointed to alternative earning options such as virtual gifts rather than committing to expand the Creator Rewards Programme to Africa.

Does This Affect Nigerian Creators?

Yes, in the same way. The programme is unavailable across Africa, so Nigerian creators face the same gap in direct payouts.