HE has been posting videos on TikTok since last March.
But the latest one, where he is seen dancing to Bacardi Music, has left Tiyani Shiphamele’s followers in awe.
They loved the video so much they started a dance challenge.
Tiyani, who is a Tshwane Metro cop constable, goes by the name Tiyani Trevor on TikTok, where he has 113 000 followers.
He told the People’s Paper that there was nothing special about the video until hundreds of people had a dance challenge within hours of him posting it.
The 28-year-old from Akasia, north of Tshwane, said he was amazed by the response as his likes went from 500 000 to over 800 000 in less than two weeks.
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“I honestly didn’t think the video would trend the way it did. People recognise me even when I walk in the street. I literally became famous overnight,” he said.
Tiyani said he was just passing time when he joined TikTok at the beginning of lockdown.
He said the likes were slow at the time, but that didn’t bother him as he was just doing it for fun.
“My friend and I would compete on who would get more likes after we posted videos of us doing the same thing.
“And obviously I would always win, but the likes were just a few compared to now.”
He said when he was not dancing, he posted videos speaking his mother tongue, Tsonga, but he got more likes and followers when he posted dancing videos.
“When I started to get more followers, I became so dedicated I even bought a ring light and phone with good camera quality.
“TikTok is part of my daily life. I post three videos every morning before I go to work.”
Tiyani said he liked posting in his uniform as he wanted to show people they could still have fun while doing their duties.
“Posting videos is not as easy as it looks. You need to get good lighting and the right background, and take dozens of videos before choosing the three I usually post.”
When Tiyani is not maintaining law and order or being a TikTok star, he runs a plumbing business that he started in July.
“I hope to start making money through it soon, just for dancing.”
We are on TikTok @DAILYSUNMZANSI
