Mbola had previously expressed displeasure with Smith's content, which, with some tweaks, was very similar to his own.
Nala Smith, who lives in the United States, recently posted a video of herself making rice noodles on TikTok, the day after Onezwa Mbola, who lives in South Africa, made biangbiang noodles.
Social media gourmands who follow both content creators noticed the similarities between the two and spoke out in Mbola's defence.
In June of this year, Mbola accused Smith of stealing her content ideas after she noticed eerie similarities between the content she posted and that of Smith.
While some believed and agreed with Mbola's claims, the former MasterChef South Africa contestant faced criticism from Smith's supporters, some of whom pointed out to Mbola that he has no original content online.
Just under a month after the controversy that forced Mbola to defend his comments, Smith posted another video that closely resembled Mbola's content.
@onezwambola Biang Biang noodles and antelope steak. Handmade noodles are the best 🥺🫰🏾 #fyp #rurallife #ezilalini #farmlife #Homegrown ♬ original sound – Onezwa Mbola
@naraazizasmith This will be my death row meal… #easyrecipes #homecooking #dinnerideas #fyp #thaifood #foodideas #dessert ♬ La vie en rose (Cover Edith Piaf) – Tian Dong Yu
Mbola had previously expressed displeasure with Smith's content, which, with some tweaks, was very similar to his own.
At this point, Nara is punishing Onezuwa for daring to call her out. She's like, “I'm going to teach you to stay away from me.” This is a bullying tactic. But Onezuwa is not a helpless girl. I'm sure she'll find a way to use this to her advantage.
Areen, Kegame
— HeadB*InCharge (@BontleMS) July 16, 2024
Nara realizes that you guys hate Onezuwa and don't care, so she's going to keep doing it. The comments are all “They can't make me hate Nara.” https://t.co/dg8xtV4S2S
— Ketty (@king__valkyrie) July 16, 2024
Also read: Onezwa Mbola: “I'm not talking about recipes, I'm talking about patterns to steal ideas”
'Idea stealing patterns'
In June, Mbola posted a video of herself on her Instagram Reels explaining how Smith had been stealing her content ideas and posting them as his own, and how it had heartbroken her.
“I specifically state that I'm not the first to do anything, and I understand that. I'm not talking about recipes, I'm talking about a pattern of stealing ideas,” Mbola said. Citizen at that time.
“I literally make recipes for people to recreate, which is fine. But the issue isn't replicating the recipes, it's that people are literally replicating my content, my content style and profiting from it without crediting me.”
Mbola first found out his content had been allegedly stolen late last year but didn't say much about it, but last week's video was sparked by him making his own bubble tea, which Smith then replicated the next day.
“When I started creating content it was never about money. I don't lobby brands and it's only recently that I've started collaborating with them,” the former marine navigator said.
“It's taken me so long to collaborate with a brand because I'm very particular about my brand.”
Legal action and public retraction
Smith is a Lesotho-German fashion model born in Bloemfontein.
Following Mbola's complaint, Smith wrote to Mbola demanding that he publicly retract the allegations, which she called “completely false.”
Read now: 'Retract your statement' Nala Smith threatens legal action against Onezwa Mbola
