She is one of the most-watched YouTubers in South Africa. Her content is at times scathing, yet hilarious as she dishes out her opinion on celebrities.
She also uses her personal experiences to tell stories.
Owamie Netshivhazwaulu (31) formerly known by the surname Hlongwane before her divorce, is not afraid to sink her teeth into current entertainment news for views and comments as long as her loyal viewers, who she refers to as ‘ninjas’, are happy.
It took her four years to be one of the most-watched Mzansi vloggers.
“I started watching YouTubers and really enjoyed the commentary. I then created my channel in 2017. The first video was uploaded on 1 January and it was just an introduction to my channel. My first video did not do too well, but I was excited that to get 30 views and eight subscribers,” Owamie says.
Her content has since changed from makeup tutorials to entertainment news commentary and she has added personal matters.
“I love doing celebrity news updates. But my personal content does well. It has done better than my celebrity reporting.”
This year she shared details of her divorce from her husband of nine years, which viewers loved.
“People relate to my personal stories more. I think they like me because I am an open person and honest and I show my vulnerability when it comes to my own experiences,” Owamie says.
When she started shooting videos using her phone, she did not for a second think she would be making a living with 182 000 YouTube subscribers and 26.4k followers on Instagram.
“I never imagined I would be a YouTube sensation. I did not have any expectations, I wanted to see where it would take me. My content started building from then onwards. I wasn’t even sure of the kind of content I would post, until I found my niche. People love the honesty in my work. I have a strong personality. I am not afraid to speak my mind. I’m not an emotional thinker,” Owamie says.
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Born in Gaba village in Venda to father Samuel Netshivhazwaulu and mom Rina Netshivhazwaulu, after high school she did a diploma in B Care at Medunsa.
“My studies did not contribute much to what I am currently doing. But going to university, from the village and interacting with people from different walks of life helped,” Owamie says.
“I got to leave the close-mindedness of village life and get out of my comfort zone which helped me to open my mind.”
YouTube is a full-time job for Owamie. “It sustains me financially and I get to build a community around the world in countries that I have never heard or been to before.”
The first salary she made through her channel was R23 000.
“Of course now I make way more than that, enough for me to survive and sustain my life,” she says. Being a YouTuber comes with its challenges.
“Viewers are constantly changing and growing with you. Some people refuse your change, and they get left behind. The more popularity you gain you become a mini-celebrity and expectations from people grow, that can sometimes become a challenge,” Owamie says.
“You learn to protect yourself more and things you once considered small are big like people not knowing your location or having easy access to you is important.”
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Dealing with criticism is like water off a duck’s back for Owamie.
“I have been going to a psychologist for a few years, which has helped me. The criticism does not affect me too much. I have gotten used to it. There are days when feeling down, but I’ve learned that criticism comes with the package,” she says.
“I have never had a breakdown because of criticism, but from my own personal issues. I pray that never happens. I am very open, and people drive towards me. When I am not in a good space, I watch my favourite channels.”
She plans to go bigger and maybe even branch into television.
“On YouTube, I would love to do some work with MacG who has the biggest Podcast in the country Podcast And Chill. I would also love to work with the Mwase family who produce music videos and also have one of the biggest channels in the country,” Owamie says.
“But one of my long-term goals is to have a talk show, either on television or on YouTube because I believe that sharing stories is my gift.”
