Inside SA’s R6bn online sex work boom

The internet has opened up opportunities to tens of thousands of South Africans to parade their bodies for money.

This has created a massive, hidden economy which generates upwards of R3 billion a year… the bulk of it tax-free because it is not declared to the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

And the sleazy side of life is offering an employment lifeline to many, where the jobless rate continues to soar.

Digital sex work is booming in SA

At first, digital sex work was an outlier on platforms like Pornhub, the YouTube of adult content.

Over the last few years, platforms like OnlyFans and Fansly have legitimised, almost sanitised adult content.

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It’s nearing acceptance as a legitimate means of earning a living and, despite stigma, women – and some men – are making substantial bank on earnings.

In South Africa, like the rest of the world, it’s a shadow economy that delivers income to people who may not have opportunity otherwise.

“The industry in South Africa is actually massive,” said Jaun Esterhuizen of Exotic World, who has been working with online adult creators for more than a decade.

SA industry massive

“I personally have a list of more than 10 000 ladies that sell content overseas, along with about 4 000 who market locally, too,” he said.

“If you look at the whole market, I estimate that there must be more than 100 000 girls in South Africa across multiple platforms that sell some kind of content on everything from WhatsApp to Telegram for private sales through to OnlyFans.

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“Among people I work with there are attorneys, doctors, ad agency professionals and even accountants, who have day jobs and either create content as a hobby, or as a means to supplement their income.”

Esterhuizen’s numbers are somewhat higher than the 10 000 local content creators estimated by a recent study. But it is a significant industry.

“People cannot find work,” he said.

Safe way to earn money

“This is a safe way to earn money of an asset that you already own.”

He added every January he notes a massive spike of new creators, many of them school leavers who opt for the adult industry instead of seeking out opportunities in a job market where employment is scarce or selective.

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Naughty Nicky, a Johannesburg-based creator, has been an adult content creator for four years. She said she earns “never less than about R50 000 a month” from her 5 000 paying subscribers. She supplements this with free content on TikTok and Instagram to market her channels which, together, attract over 100 000 followers.

“It’s given me a lot of independence. I can be a full-time mother during the day and do my work at night,” she said.

“But you need to be strong. There’s hate and judgement. But, financially, it’s worth it.”

Adult creator market valued at over R118 trillion

Research shows her income is not unusual. The global adult creator market is valued at well over R118 trillion in 2024, projected to hit R169 trillion in three years.

On platforms like OnlyFans, custom content alone can fetch up to R9 000 per video, with fetish content such as feet pictures selling from R95 to over R1 900 per set. At the top end, exclusive subscriptions and private sessions can exceed R18 000 a month per fan. Nicky confirmed this.

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“Foot content does very well,” she said. “Outdoor content, too. There’s a lot of money to be made if you find the right niche.”

And this is exactly why a 60 year old woman from the East Rand has started selling foot content on the Feet Finder platform.

“I have always had nice feet and I just figured, why not? If I can make money off an asset that I was born with, then there is no reason why I cannot.”

Foot content

While she’s a newbie on the platform, she has already registered positive earnings, she said.

Using Esterhuizen’s conservative estimate of 14 000 creators in his network, each making R20 000 a month at the lower end, the industry’s value is jaw-dropping. That translates into R280 million every month, or R3.36 billion annually.

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At Nicky’s level of earnings, the value multiplies. If 10 000 creators earn an average R50 000 a month, the digital sex economy is worth R6 billion a year. This is income largely outside the formal economy, untaxed and unrecorded.

“Porn will always be there,” Esterhuizen said.

“But now OnlyFans and Fansly make it safer for everyone to do it. I know of people bringing in half a million rand a month just by selling custom videos.”

OnlyFans creators making between R190k and R1.9m a month

Globally, the earnings potential is even more north of this. Reports show top OnlyFans creators making between R190 000 and R1.9 million a month. Feet Finder, a fetish-only platform, records monthly incomes of up to R190 000.

Sars recently noted that it would be focusing on content creators and influencers who avoid paying tax.

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Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter said recently “it remains the social influencers’ legal obligation to declare all income received”, whether in cash, products or services. OnlyFans and adult platform earnings are taxable income.

A Sex Expo spokesperson said adult content creators have emerged as a major force.

Beyond building their own audiences online, creators are stepping into roles as exhibitors, speakers and brand collaborators at the Expo, using the platform to gain visibility they cannot achieve digitally.

Creators driving trends in products

The spokesperson also said that the creators are driving trends in products like lingerie, BDSM accessories, lubricants, and toys, blending online influence with offline commerce in ways that traditional porn stars never managed.

Exotic World’s Esterhuizen works with creators to promote his sex toy brand.

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Nicky plans to branch out and has started teaching aspiring creators the craft.

She is also studying to become a certified intimacy coach and wants to help couples find one another within intimacy.

Content creator Megan Janse van Rensburg plans to grow her business, but only focuses on a single platform.

“It’s a business. It’s work. It’s an income,” said Nicky. “At the end of the day, the money goes to the same places as any other salary.”