A Twitter hashtag created by an Eastern Cape social media influencer playing Cupid has reached more than 18,000 South Africans and helped many singles find love.
Azola Mlota, who was born in Elliot, birthed the hashtag #UmjoloWithAzola (Dating with Azola) after seeing people on social media talk about their frustrations at trying to find love.
Mlota’s passion for people and candid conversations about relationships on Twitter led him to create this makeshift dating site.
“I usually engage on random Tweets about relationships and love.
“The response to those engagements led me to create the now-viral #UmjoloWithAzola.
“That is when I realised that I can become Cupid and hook people up.”
He started the hashtag in 2018.
“A friend of mine once told me that I am an influencer and then proceeded to ask what I was doing to influence other people’s lives.
“That resonated with me.”
He then started the @UmjoloWithAzola Twitter account, which has featured on the SA TV social media watchdog, #TrendingSA. Mzola says his main objective is to help people maintain a positive attitude about relationships.
Cupid’s arrow flew true for Durban attorney Nomkhosi Nguni and Stanger store manager Cebo Mbatha, who found romance on the hashtag.
“I was on my phone one day and came across this hashtag.
“I posted a picture of myself using #UmjoloWithAzola in May this year.
“On the very same day I got a direct message [DM] from Cebo and we exchanged numbers,” Nguni said.
“We clicked from the word go and we had so much to talk about. I am truly happy, everything was just perfect,” she said.
The two KwaZulu-Natal lovebirds have been dating since their Twitter encounter in May.
A Gauteng-based bachelorette and Limpopo-based bachelor also struck gold on the hashtag.
Amanda Pahla and Dimakatso Mgodi are now a young couple in love.
“I had posted a picture of myself using the hashtag at the beginning of this year. A week went by and there were no responses.“A week later, Dimakatso DM’d me with such a cheesy line asking why I was single.“I giggled at that and the rest is history,” said Pahla.The young couple say they are “taking things” in their relationship “as they come”.Mlota said: “People call themselves influencers and yet they do not make a difference in people’s lives. I am elated at the response this has received.“It means that I am making a difference in people’s lives. This shows that people can trust me.”..