YouTube has released its 2021 Top Ten lists, celebrating 2021’s biggest moments on the platform in South Africa.
The country’s top 10 trending videos on YouTube this year reflect the growing popularity of original content produced by South African creators on the platform with Ramscomics, Lasizwe Dambuza, MacG, Noluthando Zungu and MDM Sketch Comedy all dominating this category.
The top trending videos on YouTube for 2021 are based on a range of factors, beyond just viewership. For example, YouTube also considers engagement while also looking at signals like shares and likes. YouTube’s 2021 Top Ten lists bring together the biggest videos in South Africa from creators, personalities and mainstream media with a presence on YouTube.
Local favourites topping the list include #YouTubeBlack Voices class of 2021 creator Lasizwe Dambuza, and former radio show host turned podcaster, MacG. In a year when Amapiano music took the world by storm, a video featuring a group of Amapiano dancers ranked second in the country, with almost six million views. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation, the funeral service for local musician Killer Kau and Prince Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview with Oprah were among the news items that had South Africans clicking “play”.
Below is a round-up of all the top trending videos of 2021 on YouTube in South Africa.
Top 10 trending videos in South Africa
| Video title | Channel | Video link |
| Noko Mashaba – Makhi’s Chicken | Ramscomics | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7_-V0vX18s |
| Mr JazziQ Umsebenzi wethu/Amapiano dancers?#Roadto1k | Pearl Tsweletso | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ3-26asaPE |
| The funeral service of Sakhile ‘Killer Kau’ Hlatshwayo | Icebolethu Funerals | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMSNmZ-JoYk |
| President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation | eNCA | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx0SR4XlFpA |
| Dealing with Toxic Men | Noluthando Zungu | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=048G_M3bazg |
| Drink Or Tell The Truth w/Zodwa Wabantu | Lasizwe Dambuza | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVR8TTuzzh4 |
| Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview | CBC News: The National | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kj8UPnZfPc |
| Episode 249 | Israel Zulu on Life on Prison, Crime, Yizo Yizo, Being Typecast, Politics, Ethics | MacG | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vd1uMWLWng |
| Luh & Uncle – He Forgot How To Speak Zulu | MDM Sketch Comedy | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJHtRwK8EY |
| Teeth whitening at home in 2 minutes || How to naturally whiten your yellow teeth || 100% effective | Mojaraba TV | //www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrNVnoHQGgQ |
In addition to the top trending videos list, YouTube South Africa has also released:
- The Top Trending Music video list – topped by Cassper Nyovest’s Siyathandana music video
- The Breakout Creators list – topped by Tsoanieskits
- The Top Creators list – topped by MrBeast
- The Shorts Creator list – topped by Zhong
For a full breakdown of YouTube’s 2021 Top Ten lists, please visit: yt.be/top10
About YouTube
Launched in May 2005, YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community allowing billions of people to discover, watch and share video. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube is a Google company. www.youtube.com
For more information, visit our Google Africa Blog: google-africa.blogspot.com. You can also follow Google’s Africa team on Twitter: twitter.com/googleafrica
