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SASMAs address controversy over Nara Smith’s nomination and Onezwa Mbola’s exclusion
Smith is nominated in the Food Influencer of the Year category
Content creators, Nara Smith and Onezwa Mbola. Pictures: Instagram/@naraaziza,onezwambola
The South African Social Media Awards (SASMAs) have faced backlash following their announcement of Nara Smith as a nominee for the Food Influencer of the Year category, snubbing Onezwa Mbola.
The US-based content creator is nominated alongside prominent South African food content creators and chefs such as The Funny Chef, Nompumelelo Nkosi, Fikile Zungu, Zola Nene, Lazy Makoti, and Siba Mtongana.
Fans and some influencers have voiced their opinions, arguing that Onezwa is more deserving of the recognition as a South African content creator, with some suggesting that her exclusion was a deliberate attempt to generate publicity for the awards.
A few weeks ago, Mbola accused Smith of stealing her content ideas and style, and profiting from them.
READ MORE: Onezwa Mbola: “It’s not recipes that I’m talking about; it’s a pattern of stealing ideas”
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SASMAs set the record straight
In response, SASMA spokesperson Weza Matomane told The Citizen that nominations are based on submissions from either the influencers themselves or their fans.
“For a content creator to be nominated, either the individual nominates themselves, or their fans submit a nomination. In the case of Onezwa Mbola, we did not receive any nominations from her or her supporters,” Matomane explained.
“On the other hand, Nara Smith was nominated by one of her fans, which led to her inclusion in the category,” he added.
Matomane further emphasised that the selection process involves evaluating nominees based on several criteria, including the credibility of their content, consistency, professionalism, and innovation on social media.
He added that once these factors are considered, the nominees are then subject to public voting.
“As an organisation, we do not interfere with the nomination process. We allow fans to decide who they want to nominate, and individuals to nominate themselves as well. The final decision on who wins is also left to the people through public voting.”
Addressing claims of a publicity stunt, Matomane said that the SASMAs do not engage in practices that pit creators against each other.
“If they were both nominated, maybe people would have assumed we were pitting them against each other, but that’s not the case. If Onezwa or her fans had nominated her, she likely would have been on the list because we know her content is good.”
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This year’s SASMAs feature 30 categories
The nominees for the 4th annual South African Social Media Awards were revealed last Friday at Kream Restaurant in Mall of Africa.
The winners will be announced at the main event on Saturday, 23 November 2024, at the Focus Rooms in Sandton, Johannesburg.
This year’s SASMAs feature 30 categories, including: Sports Personality of the Year, Food Influencer, Fashion Influencer, Motivational Speaker of the Year, Best Emerging Brand, Popular South African Song on Social Media, Popular Hashtag, Travel/Leisure Influencer, Popular Content Across All Social Media Platforms,
Photographer of the Year, Automotive Influencer, Best Vlogger, Beauty Influencer, Activist of the Year, Popular Radio Show/Program on Social Media, Most Recognised Business, Southern Africa Social Media Influencer of the Year, Charity Campaign of the Year, Personality of the Year, Agency of the Year, Fitness Influencer, Journalist of the Year, Brand Campaign of the Year, African Star of the Year, and Kid Influencer.
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