From Mihlali to AKA: See the winners who emerged victorious at the 2023 DStv Content Creator Awards

• Nominees for the DStv Content Creator Awards were first announced in July.
• The public voting platform received almost 40,000 votes prior to the ceremony.
• Nineteen winners emerged victorious out of a pool of more than 90 nominees. 
• For more lifestyle news, go to the News24 Life front page.

Luxury style influencer Kefilwe Mabote was creating fashion and lifestyle content long before it was the mainstream industry it is today. 

Born in Soweto, Mabote's life story makes it sound like she never initially viewed her knack for style as a potential career path. She studied BCom accounting through Unisa after finishing high school, but her calling for a career in fashion beckoned. 

In a 2017 interview with Top Billing, she said her sense of style had family members complimenting her outfits and asking her for help when putting together their own looks. 

She spun that into a job as an image consultant and personal shopper, but her social media presence catapulted her to fame. 

Mabote has been an influencer and content creator for over a decade, and she began her career with a focus on building a brand and reputation, which has paid off over the years. 

Most recently, the 2023 DStv Content Creator Awards recognised her work and gave her this year's Fashion & Style Award. 

She was honoured alongside creators like Karabo Poppy, Mihlali Ndamase and AKA, who has been honoured with countless post-houmous awards in the last year. 

Lasizwe Dambuza did the honours of announcing the first-ever OG Award winner, Mihlali Ndamase, who is also one of his close friends. She couldn't be there to accept her award, so Lasizwe invited her mother, Mam Phumla Tshitende, onto the stage to receive the trophy.

The purple carpet

Nominees for the DStv Content Creator Awards were first announced in July and the public voting platform received almost 40,000 votes prior to the ceremony. Nineteen winners emerged victorious out of a pool of more than 90 nominees. 

The main event occurred on Saturday, 9 September, at the Galleria in Sandton, hosted by award-winning comedian and content creator Donovan Goliath. Live music was curated and performed by SA legends Black Motion.

READ MORE | Award-winning South African content creators share their secrets to success

Some of the personalities spotted on the carpet included Lasizwe, K Naomi, Julia Anastasopoulos, Pona Halo, Nomuzi 'Moozlie’ Mabena, Kim Jayde, Candice Modiselle, Matt Flax, Farieda Metsileng, Carol Ofori, Karabo Poppy, Kefilwe Mabote and Lemii LoCo.

One of the country's most powerful storytellers, authors, playwrights and performers, Gcina Mhlophe, officially opened the awards by reading a beautiful poem and blessing the awards and all the attendees, nominees and winners.

The show then kicked off with Bontle Modiselle Dance Studio lighting up the stage, accompanied by the Dance Award category nominees, 250Machine, Adriaan Hughes, Justin De Nobrega, Kelly KiKx and Mr NT.

During the ceremony, guests thought the show had been interrupted by unplanned load shedding, but the outage was planned as part of a special guest appearance by Suzelle DIY. 

Ami Faku gave a powerful solo performance, while Birth of Stars paid tribute to the LGBTQI+ community, showcasing the journey of three young SA creatives: Kamo WW, Coachella Randy and Kagiso Mogola.

Bontle Modiselle and Lasizwe teamed up to perform a killer skit, paying homage to Beyoncé's recent world tour, where she brought out Blue Ivy to perform the song "My Power". 

The awards also used the night to announce the launch of the Thumb Stopper Podcast, which will give fans candid, intimate and behind-the-scenes access to some of their favourite content creators and influencers across South Africa. It launches exclusively on Spotify Podcasts for the first month.