The South African Social Media Awards (SASMA) are facing backlash after announcing that they have selected Nala Smith as a nominee in the ‘Food Influencer of the Year’ category, ignoring Onezwa Mbola.
Smith was nominated alongside other prominent South African food content creators and chefs, including The Funny Chef, Nompumelelo Nkosi, Fikile Zungu, Zola Nene, Lazy Makoti and Siba Mtongana.
Fans and some influencers have expressed their disappointment, with some suggesting that Onezwa's exclusion may have been intended to promote the awards.
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SASMA reveals the truth
In response, SASMA spokesperson Weza Matmane said: The Citizen Nominations are based on submissions from influencers themselves or their fans.
“For a content creator to be nominated, they must either nominate themselves or their fans must submit a nomination. In the case of Onezwa Mbola, there was no nomination from her or her supporters,” Matomane explained.
“Nara Smith, on the other hand, was nominated by one of her fans, which led to her selection in this category,” he added.
Matmane further stressed that the selection process will evaluate candidates based on several criteria, including credibility of content, consistency, professionalism and innovation in social media.
After these factors are taken into consideration, the candidates will be put to a public vote, he added.
“As an organization, we do not interfere with the nomination process. We allow our fans to decide who they want to nominate and individuals can nominate themselves. The final decision on who wins also rests with the people through public voting.”
Responding to claims that it was a propaganda stunt, Matmane said SASMA was not involved in pitting creators against each other.
“If we had both been nominated, people might have thought we were pitting them against each other, but that's not the case. If Onezwa or her fans had nominated her, she would have been on the list because we know her content is good.”
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This year's SASMA has 30 categories
Nominees for the fourth annual South African Social Media Awards were announced last Friday at Cream Restaurant in the 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 SASMA has 30 categories including Sports Personality of the Year, Food Influencer, Fashion Influencer, Motivational Speaker of the Year, Best Emerging Brand, Favourite South African Song on Social Media, Favourite Hashtag, Travel/Leisure Influencer and Favourite Content across all social media platforms.
Photographer of the Year, Automotive Influencer, Best Video Blogger, Beauty Influencer, Activist of the Year, Popular Radio Show/Programme on Social Media, Most Recognised Company, South African 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, Kids Influencer.
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