By Oliver Chisenga
WITH some 900,000 followers on Facebook, Mutale Mwanza is arguably Zambia’s most talked about societal media influencer.
Mutale who was recently named a Fenty Beauty brand influencer has been the topic of discussion regarding how she makes her money to support her glamorous lifestyle and sense of fashion.
On May 10, 2022, Barbadian superstar Rihanna announced the launch of Fenty in Africa, and Zambia was listed as one of the countries the brand is set to launch in.
Mwanza was picked by #TeamFenty to associate with the brand in Zambia and across Africa alongside other celebrities in Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Speaking to The Mast, Mutale explains that social media can financially empower those that use the platforms positively.
She says positive use of her MM page on social media has effectively earned her millions of kwacha.
Mutale advises young women to not only use it to flaunt their pictures and demonising people but to make money.
She says “it is this positive usage” of her page that led to her recognition by Fenty Beauty brands.
“My advice to people, young women to be specific who think social media is for ‘likes’ and pictures and things like that…listen, if you grow your numbers steadily and consistently with your posts on social media, you can actually gain monetarily and earn yourself quite a lot of money. You need to be smart about your content. You need to be consistent with your content and it needs to be good quality content.
Pictures need to be top notch. You can actually earn a lot of money via social media,” Mutale explains. “Social media is not a platform to pull each other down but a platform for you to monetise and eventually brands will notice your page, notice your content and would want to invest in you as either brand ambassador for their company or brand influencer and that equally translates into money… So let’s use social media responsibly.”
She is excited to be a Fenty Africa Beauty brand influencer and is optimistic that there is a market for Fenty products in Zambia.
“I am happy to be associated with this multi-million-dollar brand. It is humbling. The fact that we will be making sells is what matters. I do not anticipate any challenges because the brand speaks for itself. The brand sells itself. Many people in Zambia and Africa at large are extremely excited about the coming of Fenty. So I think I am more excited if anything,” she says.
Mutale notes that Zambians have previously faced challenges ordering Fenty products online, but will now be able to access them at Color Cafe.
She recalls how she felt when she received the news of brand association with Fenty Africa via email.
“This is truly an honour. I am extremely humbled. Being a young lady that grew up in Parklands, Kitwe, I never would have imagined that a global brand like Fenty would one day recognise me. I pinch myself every now and then just to make sure it’s not a hoax. I thank God every day for His favour over my life because it can only be God,” Mutale says.
She says her new role adds to social media trends.
“I am quite outspoken. I speak my mind and people don’t really like that…or are not accustomed to that and that I guess makes me stand out. My positive use of social media definitely has gained me a lot of brand recognition globally,” she explains. “I have the numbers and when companies are scouting for brand influencers, they look at the numbers, content and things like that so definitely my positive use of social media earned me this deal.”
Mutale acknowledges that her brand is not only being watched locally.
“This means I need to expand my horizons and always keep in mind that I am an international brand. Therefore, I must create worldwide content on my social media platforms bearing in mind that I command attention outside Zambia,” notes Mutale. “I owe this to my family who encourages me to keep going and to my amazing followers the M-Nation who support me relentlessly. This means from here on now, I can only go higher.”
