He is Ngwana wa BoMma, and one of Limpopo’s finest!
Better known online as Kay Mahapa, he has built a following of more than 700,000 people by doing what he does best; making people laugh, think and see everyday life from a different perspective.
But there is far more to him than the funny videos that have made him a familiar face online. Karabo Mahapa has a strong academic and professional background in accounting and taxation.
This is a side of himself that has shaped the way he approaches content creation as a business. Being a creator is not simply about chasing views or brand deals; it is about building something sustainable, professional and valuable.
As we continue with TJR 100 Creators features, this is the story of a proudly Limpopian creator who has mastered the art of making people laugh while proving there is always more beneath the punchline.
Your videos are hilarious, but they never cross the line into being offensive. How do you decide what’s funny enough to post and what’s a step too far?
A question I ask myself a lot when I’m conceptualising videos and especially when the video is about another person or group of people is “If someone said this about me, how would I feel?”.
Generally, I’m a very respectful and considerate person so I trust myself to answer this question in a manner that puts the other person(s) and their feelings first and be able to express an opinion about them without crossing the line.
As a comedic creator, I’m fortunate that most people already know that my videos come from a place of entertainment and humour and never to offend, however on the rare occasion that a line is crossed, apologising and taking the feedback into consideration is something I’m not above doing.
You’ve built an audience of more than 700,000 people. How has that changed the way you think about your responsibility as a creator?
When I decided to create video content a few years ago, it was all about sharing my opinions and perspectives with the world, which always served as entertainment to the people they reached.
As the years progressed and my audience grew larger, I recognised and appreciated the privilege and responsibility I had been entrusted with and prioritised not just being entertaining but informative as well.
That has translated as intended because people I meet in the streets and social settings mention how watching my videos is not only entertaining but also leaves them with something to think about. People spend a lot of time and energy consuming content online, if I can add value and meaning to that time spent, that is a mission accomplished for me.
You occasionally share snippets of your personal life, but you also keep a lot private. How did you decide where to draw that line?
When you’ve been on social media for as long as I have, first as a content consumer and now as a content creator, you start to understand both the good and the bad that comes with it.
Social media can be incredibly entertaining, inspiring and even life-changing, but a personal observation I’ve made from my years in this world is that I don’t think the human mind was designed to process thousands of opinions, constant stimulation and endless scrutiny every single day. At least not those of us who became the first generation to grow up with it.
Because of that, I’ve made a conscious decision to keep my personal life as private as possible.
It’s my way of creating a healthy boundary between my real life and the internet. I also think it would be unfair to the people in my life to make them part of my social media personality.
They didn’t choose to be on social media or have strangers commenting on them, so I don’t see why they should be exposed to that simply because of what I do.
People see the funny side of Kay online, but everyone has difficult days. What do you do when you’re struggling or simply don’t feel like getting out of bed, yet thousands of people expect you to show up?
One thing I’ve come to realise and most importantly accept as an adult is that it’s normal and okay to have 2/3 good days in a 5 day work week. You’re not always going to have 5 out of 5 good days in a week.
I actually worry when I have that many good days in a work week because that simply means something bad is going to go wrong soon. E na le childhood trauma nyana this line of thinking but I’m yet to be proven wrong.
So that is my approach to difficult days and days where I don’t feel like showing up despite having signed legal and social contracts to do so.
I view my job as a social media content creator like any other job to be honest. Everyone with a job has days where they’d rather not participate in the scam that is capitalism and the maximising of shareholder value, days where they’d rather do what their heart feels like doing, whether it’s staying in bed, going an impromptu trip alone or with family, etc but because we signed contracts that bind us, we show up nonetheless.
Like many people in traditional jobs, I show up not to excel but to just mark the register and prioritise progress over perfection.
You have a strong academic background in accounting and taxation. Has that influenced the way you approach content creation as a business, not just a creative outlet?
Most definitely. From the moment I understood that this can be turned into a career, my academic background kicked in to try and make this into a sustainable, profitable and compliant entity.
The accounting module taught me about sustainability, profitability, financing, and investing. Meanwhile the tax module taught me that you can play with toys, video games and anything in between, just don’t play with SARS.
Given your career in taxation. What are your thoughts on SARS taxing content creators and what advice can you share?
It’s really not something to have a thought about. Everyone earning an income in South Africa is required to pay taxes on that income, content creators are no different. If we say content creation is a job and we want people to take it seriously as such, it starts off with such things.
The best advice I can give other creators is operate as a business. Open a company, invoice your content creation income through the company and pay yourself a fixed salary as an employee of the business. If done right, it’s a cleaner, easier, cheaper and more professional setup compared to receiving the income in your personal capacity.
Lastly, get a good and reliable accounting and tax professional(s) to help you with the financial and tax affairs of your company.
Given your online popularity, do colleagues and clients take you seriously at work, or have you had to prove there’s more to you than the funny videos?
The distinction between Karabo and Kay helps a lot in navigating such spaces. In my 9-5, Karabo takes the forefront and my colleagues and clients understand and respect this.
Luckily I’ve never had to go beyond my scope of work to prove that there’s more to me than the funny videos because in our line of work, the work speaks for itself. My Director always says “the working paper must communicate for you even when you’re not there” and that in essence is the type of work environment I’m in so if I do my job as tasked, I won’t have to prove otherwise.
Brands often trust you to tell their stories without losing your voice. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far about brand partnerships?
Stay true to yourself. It’s very easy to “get lost in the sauce” when you’re getting a lot of brand partnerships.
You get to a point where most of the work you’re doing is related to brands so if you don’t remember to stay true to yourself, your authenticity gets diluted, your creative line of thinking starts assimilating to what brands wants and you end up finding yourself being like a roadside billboard that brands rent out for a certain time.
The thing with those billboards, people see them but they ultimately drive away without giving them much thought.
Always remember that brands came to you because you were the billboard that people saw, stopped, engaged with and took to heart the message you were sharing. Always remember the reason you have the brand partnerships you have today.
Last Netflix show/film you watched?
The Polygamist. Mara Jonasi guys?! Tjo
Song you have on repeat?
Natiey Lepaka – MaDouble
Top 3 favorite SA creators and why?
Primo – the versatility and dedication to the craft
Vafa Naraghi – He’s a content creator, touring South Africa with his stand up comedy and he’s the Mayor of New York in his spare time. The hardest working man in the world right now.
Thato Rampedi – Longevity , ability and willingness to pivot and innovate and move the needle.
Who do you want us to feature next? Nominate them here!
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