Twitter is a powerful social media platform that connects individuals with others. But of course some people are more popular than others… We found out which South Africans come out on top in terms of numbers of followers.
We used Twitter measuring tool Twitter Counter to explore the numbers as well as doing some of our own research on Twitter itself, in case the former tool missed out any names, which it did. Note, we are only ranking individuals, not company accounts.
13 – Black Coffee
This musician, real name Nkosinathi Maphumulo, has been making waves globally, having played recently in Ibiza and partying up a storm with Paris Hilton and Diddy. Not letting a disabled hand stop him from chasing success, this DJ is one to watch.
Twitter Handle: @RealBlackCoffee
Number of Followers: 1 548 869
Number of Following: 11 247
Number of Tweets: 96 859
Joined: May 2009
12 – Boity Thulo
Actress and TV host Boity Thulo describes herself in her Twitter bio as ‘A Legend in the making’. Her posts on her timeline are mostly motivational, mixed with a bit of promotion of her various business ventures.
Twitter Handle: @Boity
Number of Followers: 1 565 268
Number of Following: 2 505
Number of Tweets: 97 071
11 – DJ Zinhle
DJ Zinhle, real name Ntombezinhle Jiyane, has certainly made a name for herself in the South African music scene, as well as on Twitter. With her booking details in her bio, Zinhle’s account is very much utilised for promotion of her business ventures.
Twitter Handle: @DJZinhle
Number of Followers: 1 615 696
Number of Following: 9 605
Number of Tweets: 50 545
Joined: April 2009
10 – Gareth Cliff
Radio personality Gareth Cliff is very active on the social media platform, retweeting and interacting with many other users. He regularly gives his opinions on stories in the news as well as promotes his online radio station CliffCentral.
Twitter Handle: @GarethCliff
Number of Followers: 1 725 294
Number of Following: 260
Number of Tweets: 30 321
Joined: December 2008
9 – AKA
Hip-hop artist AKA was not on Twitter Counter’s list of the most followed South Africans on the social media platform, but after doing some research his name popped up. Promotion of his music and the gigs that he is playing are interspersed with a lot of retweets on his timeline. Interestingly, AKA is the person on this list with the fewest number of following as well as the lowest number of tweets.
Twitter Handle: @akaworldwide
Number of Followers: 1 972 824
Number of Following: 13
Number of Tweets: 408
Joined: April 2009
8 – Minenhle Dlamini
The Twitter timeline of on-air personality, actress and model Minenhle Dlamini, popularly known as Minnie, has been dominated recently by news around her bridal shower and wedding, which happened on Saturday. She also posts a lot around promoting the projects that she is involved in.
Twitter Handle: @MinnieDlamini
Number of Followers: 2 032 102
Number of Following: 789
Number of Tweets: 22 831
Joined: July 2010
7 – Bonang Matheba
She who reigns supreme, according to her Twitter bio, television personality, radio host and businesswoman Bonang Matheba made headlines recently when she was mocked by those on Twitter for the quality of her book. It contained bad grammar, incorrect spelling and untruths, which spawned a series of memes. However, many Twitter followers rallied around in support of her. What stands out most on Matheba’s timeline is the confidence she has in herself, with the following Tweet summing it up perfectly: “They have to talk about you. Because when they talk about themselves, nobody listens”.
Twitter Handle:@bonang_m
Number of Followers: 2 289 268
Number of Following: 884
Number of Tweets: 78 513
Joined: July 2010
6 – Kevin Pietersen
Describing himself as a Durban boy in his Twitter bio, Pietersen was born in Pietermaritzburg and grew up in South Africa until 2000, when he moved to England, the country he played cricket for. A lot of his Tweets centre, of course, around cricket, while other sports also feature including golf and soccer. There is also a huge presence of wildlife conservation content, particularly around saving the rhino.
Twitter Handle:@KP24
Number of Followers: 3 440 307
Number of Following: 421
Number of Tweets: 15 634
Joined: July 2010
5 – AB de Villiers
The top sports star on the list, Protea’s cricket player De Villiers’ timeline is unsurprisingly littered mostly with content related to sport, but not just cricket. A lot lately was around showing support for Kevin Anderson at the US Open, while golf and rugby also feature.
Twitter Handle: @ABdeVilliers17
Number of Followers: 4 928 733
Number of Following: 258
Number of Tweets: 5 189
Joined: May 2010
4 – Caspar Lee
Having ranked number one on our list of the most subscribed to South Africans on YouTube, Lee is also one to watch on Twitter. Recently named as the chief creative officer of social media marketing agency Influencer in London, Lee says in his Twitter profile, “I create and build stuff with people more talented than me”.
Twitter Handle: @Caspar_Lee
Number of Followers: 5 147 154
Number of Following: 3 038
Number of Tweets: 8 065
Joined: November 2010
3 – Troye Sivan
Twenty-two year old South African born singer songwriter Troye Sivan claims third place on the list. Now residing in Perth Australia, not only has his singing career blossomed but he has made film appearances in all three of the Spud movies as well as playing a young Wolverine in the 2009 X-Men film. He is also a force to be reckoned with on YouTube, having racked up over 4.4 million subscribers. Sivan is a well known gay rights activist having come out on 7 August 2013.
Twitter Handle: @troyesivan
Number of Followers: 6 384 065
Number of Following: 2 934
Number of Tweets: 14 817
Joined: July 2009
2 – Trevor Noah
The comedian, who recently renewed his contract on The Daily Show in the US for another five years and won his first Emmy Award, is the second most followed South African on Twitter. Beating third place by over 1 million followers, Noah’s profile blurb reflects his sense of humour stating, “I was in the crowd when Rafiki held Simba over the edge of the cliff, like an African Michael Jackson”.
Twitter Handle: @Trevornoah
Number of Followers: 7 418 262
Number of Following: 227
Number of Tweets: 10 390
Joined: June 2009
1 – Elon Musk
Another South African-born personality who has since moved to another country, Tesla, SpaceX, OpenAI and Neuralink founder Elon Musk is looking to change the world for the better through technology. He is by far the most followed South African on Twitter (beating Noah by almost five million), and even though he doesn’t live in South Africa anymore, we will still claim him as one of our own. If you visit his timeline expect a lot of technical terminology mixed with videos also concerning tech.
Twitter Handle:@elonmusk
Number of Followers: 12 709 256
Number of Following: 47
Number of Tweets: 3 496
Joined: June 2009
All data was sourced from Twitter Counter and directly from Twitter and was correct as of writing.
If there is an account that is not on this list, which you feel was overlooked, please email michael@wagthedog.co.za.
Follow Michael Bratt on Twitter @MichaelBratt8
