Four SA female influencers shaking up the internet

The authenticity of digital influencers these days is an ongoing debate, with all of us constantly aspiring to become better versions of ourselves. Special Effects Media South Africa has recently rolled out a Female Voices Development Programme, and from it, these four female influencers, or rather voices, have been identified as content creators who are shaking up the internet with authentic life experiences and courageous philosophies worth considering in 2022.

Varaidzo Warinda, Tumi Moliko, Rasheeqah Karriem and Naledi Monamodi are all female influencers and YouTube creators with unique creativity, style and voices that demonstrate how inspirational women’s lives can be. It’s not just their catchy confidence that will draw you in, but also their shared moments of vulnerability, humour, honest advice, hope for the future and a strong spirit of determination.

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Varaidzo Warinda, AKA Vee

This 22-year-old film and theatre student has created a family of students through her channel called Everything Vee. Via this platform, Vee shares everything that she is and everything that she does, making her followers feel like everything is going to be okay, no matter what – from surviving your first year at varsity to real, honest advice about dating and sailing through a circuit of 21^st birthdays with style.

YouTuber Tumi Moliko

With 47,000 followers and counting, the gentle Tumi considers herself the next Emma Chamberlain in South Africa. She has style, is effortlessly classic and she has a cool and refreshingly quirkiness about her. Her channel, Tumi Moliko covers an array of topics including an intimate look at her first week of living alone to crazy, urban adventures, make-up fails, pranks and relationships. When life gets you down, a dose of Tumi should set things straight. She will definitely leave you grinning.

Rasheeqah Karriem

She’s a fashionista of note and a wonderfully authentic female influencer at that. Rasheeqah is letting thousands into her story of how to live life within Muslim community norms – from embracing the physical and spiritual journey of wearing a headscarf, to relationships and business. Rasheeqah is a courageous, light-hearted voice worth listening to, especially for those seeking inspiration on pushing boundaries in a creative way.

Naledi Monamodi, female voice and vlogger

On her channel, Toast with Naledi, it is evident that Naledi is one of the local female influencers with a delightful obsession with hair. But, she also offers a rare window for followers to hear genuine and vulnerable stories of a young South African female student. Her channel is uncensored and gritty, while she tells it with so much grace. Naledi’s Story Time vlogs have a way of normalising the things we often don’t speak about, but which need to be heard. This South African influencer is important and unafraid – a voice that should be heard in every sector of society.

According to Special Effects Media founder and CEO, Danilo Acquisto, “it is very gratifying to nurture and support talented YouTubers who will potentially impact societal, consumer, and brand paradigms on a large scale through their valuable and authentic content.” He says: “This isn’t business – this is about putting money where our mouths are and building the creator economy one creator at a time. Imagine a world where all YouTube creators are digital entrepreneurs running their own business through content they create online. That’s a future we want to be part of.”