It usually starts small. A phone propped against a wall. A ring light balanced on a stack of schoolbooks. A fourth take, because the first three did not feel right.
Then the upload button. And then, if the work is good and the timing is kind, a few hundred thousand people who have never met you decide they want to hear what you have to say.
That is how careers begin in South Africa now. Not in a studio in Sandton, but in bedrooms in Katlehong, back rooms in Mthatha, spare desks in Mitchells Plain. The talent has always been here. What changed is that the talent can now reach people directly.
None of it happens without a connection.
Openserve, South Africa’s largest wholesale open-access fibre network, has been confirmed as Headline Sponsor of the 2026 South African Social Media Awards (SASMA), held this year under the theme “Culture in Motion”.
The awards celebrate the storytellers, comedians, musicians, food creators, educators, gamers and entrepreneurs who have turned social platforms into livelihoods, and in doing so changed how the country talks to itself.
“We are not the ones making the content. We are the ones making sure it arrives,” said Silungile Mlambo, Executive: Marketing and Communications at Openserve.
“A creator in a small town should be able to go live to the world as easily as someone in a city apartment. That is the entire point of the network we build. We spend our days on fibre routes and network resilience, and it can look very technical from the outside. But the reason it matters is a young woman getting her first brand deal, or a chef in Soweto filling a restaurant because a video travelled further than she expected.”
Openserve does not sell directly to the people watching those videos. It builds and maintains the open-access fibre network that Internet Service Providers use to reach homes, businesses and communities. Every livestream that holds, every upload that finishes, every online store that stays open at midnight, rests on infrastructure most people never think about.
That is the quiet part of the creator economy, and it is the part Openserve is responsible for.
“For a young South African with a phone and an idea, the creator economy is one of the few doors that opens without a job interview, and thousands have walked through it and built an income for themselves. This year SASMA received more entries than ever before, close to 70% more than three years ago,” said Weza Matomane, Director of the South African Social Media Awards.
“SASMA exists to recognise and celebrate that excellence, not follower counts but craft, consistency and the courage to build something in public, and to put the young people who did it on a stage in front of the country and say, this is what success looks like now. This year we are going further than the ceremony, using the platform to help creators turn what they have built into businesses that last. We are grateful to Openserve for playing their part in making these awards a success, and for doing what they do best: making the connection that turns a bedroom into a business possible.”
The partnership goes beyond the ceremony. Openserve and SASMA will use the platform to open a wider conversation about digital inclusion: who gets to create, who gets seen, and what still stands in the way for creators outside the major metros.
The 2026 South African Social Media Awards take place on Saturday, 21 November 2026 in Johannesburg, following a 12-week public voting window across 27 categories. Nominees, voting and event details are available at sasma.co.za.
“Openserve’s partnership as SASMA’s 2026 headline partner reflects the growing importance of connectivity in enabling digital participation and economic opportunity. Openserve connects South Africa, while SASMA celebrates what South Africans create through that connection. Together, we are strengthening the creator economy and creating greater opportunities for the people shaping our digital culture.”
— Mr Unathi Mkiva, Founder & Director, SASMA
Because behind every creator is an audience. Behind every audience is a connection. And behind those connections is Openserve.