Matsulu content creator with about 1.7 million followers uses her talent to make people laugh

With a staggering number of 1.7 million followers on TikTok and about three million views, a local content creator from the rural areas of Mpumalanga has managed to make a name for herself. Known as ‘Makhi’ (neighbour), Promise Silinda from Matsulu, has managed to get people around Mzanzi laughing and embracing the daily life and struggles of unemployment through her creativity. Makhi shares her video under the name Promyroxy Promy Silinda.

She does it so well that people seem to forget about their challenges for a while, as she puts humour in all her videos, and her passion is visible as she explores various topics.
Unlike most content creators, Silinda doesn’t capture the beautiful moments that people share on social media – she goes for the awkward moments and not-so beautiful days, such as how hard a neighbour has to think to come up with a story to ask for salt or cooking oil.
Some of her videos get more than three million views on TikTok, and she has managed to get thousands of Facebook follows.

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During an interview with Mpumalanga News, she said the name she has built for herself was not created in a day. According to her, she wanted to be an actress since she was young, but life happened, and she could not achieve her dreams, but she refused to give up.

“When I recorded my first video, no one noticed me. I kept posting, and after three videos, I finally got views. That video got me 300 000 views, and from there things started to change in my life. People noticed and appreciated my hard work. I kept posting and I did another video that got me so much attention that celebrities wanted to work with me. I managed to get a role on Isitha: The Enemy, a telenovela on e.tv, and Lin Dough, a well-known artist, wanted me to be part of his video.”

According to her, dreams do come true no matter how long it takes. “My dreams of becoming an actress looked as if they would not happen, but life had other plans for me. I am now an actress and I will appear on TV. I am not only a content creator; I am an artist, MC and promoter. I will be releasing my song at the end of October. It is a traditional wedding song. This is how I have managed to make a living for myself and my family. All this happened through taking my experiences of not having a job and creating something out of it. As unemployed people, we stay home and gossip, because there is nothing to do,” Silinda explained.

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When asked about how she deals with negative comments, Makhi said she grew a thick skin and ignored it all.
“I do not mind negative comments and do not focus on them; remember, we come from different backgrounds. The negative comments do not help me. Some people want to make fun of the fact that I have a big stomach and my buttocks are flat. That is something I already know. I have known this for 30 years and I cannot be focusing on that. My attention is on those who are supporting my work and helping grow,” she said.