Polokwane resident hits TikTok fame

POLOKWANE – The social media sensation from Polokwane has over 39 300 followers and her videos have 241 000 likes, but she said the first video she did trended purely by mistake.

The video was posted by another user and she was surprised when she started to receive calls from friends and family to let her know how many views the got overnight.

“The first video was created by one of my children. The lockdown had just been eased and I was excited to be able to go out into the world again. He took a video of me saying things were going well and ‘butepu tepu’ (my life is great) and since then, people often refer to me as that. A few days after that strangers, who recognised me from my videos, stopped me in town and it was overwhelming but satisfying that so many people could relate to my content.”

Maria immediately created her own TikTok account and realised how fun it was to create videos and the reception she got proved that people really enjoy them.

She said as much as the videos are entertaining to other people, they also serve as a way to relieve herself from stress and other issues she faces as a businesswoman.

“Sometimes people don’t understand and they become judgmental. They think that social media is only for children, but I am an example that it is not. Even if you are older, you can be a star anywhere and become relatable to people of all age groups. One of the people I look up to on TikTok is Cyria Tshipelana, who is a local girl who managed to set herself up as a comedian and musician through TikTok. The platform has allowed her to be an entertainer, online and in real life.”

Maria, whose handle is @69marmar, urged anyone who needs a release to join TikTok and socialise with other users because “laughter is the best medicine”.