City Makoti Bags Influencer of the Year at the Briefly News 2025 Entertainment Awards

• South African influencer City Makoti recently bagged an award at the Briefly News 2025 Entertainment Awards
• The reality TV star won the Influencer of the Year Award and also posted about her big win on social media
• Speaking to Briefly News, City Makoti, exclusively shared how excited and happy she is to have won this award

What a great way to start a new year! Mzansi's favourite influencer, The City Makoti, recently shared some exciting news with her fans and followers as she reached an epic career milestone.

On Monday, 19 January 2026, the reality TV star, who is part of a new show that'll launch on Mzansi Wethu, The Real City Makoti, excitedly announced that she reigned supreme at the Briefly News 2025 Entertainment Awards by bagging the Influencer of the Year Award.

City Makoti, whose real name is Anika Kungentando Dambuza, garnered over 17K votes for this award.

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"Still in shock 😭🤍Thank you to everyone who voted for me and supports me every day. This win is because of you, and I don’t take it lightly. Influencer of the Year — we did that 🏆✨," she wrote.

See the post below:

City Makoti shares how happy she is to have won the award

While she was still beaming with excitement, the award-winning influencer who previously shared about her experience at Big Brother Mzansi's house, Anika, shared exclusively with Briefly News how she is feeling after her big victory.

She said:

"Winning honestly feels surreal. I’m incredibly grateful and humbled. This award means so much to me because it reflects the support of a community that truly resonates with the stories I share. It feels affirming, not just for my work, but for choosing to show up authentically."

She further mentioned that she didn't expect to win this award, as she was nominated amongst the greatest content creators.

"I genuinely wasn’t expecting to win. The category was filled with such talented and deserving nominees, and I truly believe any one of them could have taken it. I went into it feeling proud just to be nominated and focused more on celebrating the moment than the outcome," she said.

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Fans congratulate City Makoti on her big win

Shortly after the star shared about her big win on social media, many netizens flooded the comment section with their reactions. Here's what they had to say below:

Johanna Spogter said:

"Voted for you with love, you deserve it."

Thembisile Nkwinti wrote:

"I was crossing fingers for you koti, we did it! So happy for you makoti wethu..."

Leanne Goldman commented:

"Congratulations. So happy for you. You deserve it."

Nosiphiwo Ntambekwana responded:

"Oh, and I was confident that you would win."

Zulu umembeso goes viral

In a previous report from Briefly News, the City Makoti revealed some of the beautiful moments from a traditional Zulu wedding and umembeso, showing unity through culture and celebration.

The TikTok video clip was a celebration of South African traditions, highlighting the beauty of Zulu heritage and how it continues to bring people together. City Makoti looked ravishing in her traditional attire.

Source: Briefly News