Amakhosi Dethroned: Inside the Social Media Power Shift in South African Football

Orlando Pirates is South Africa’s most-followed football club across major platforms, with 10.5 million followers, ahead of Kaizer Chiefs with 9.9 million and Mamelodi Sundowns with 8 million. Pirates has 5.3 million followers on Facebook, 2.1 million on X, 1.9 million on TikTok and 1.2 million on Instagram. Chiefs leads Facebook with 5.6 million followers but has no TikTok account, while Sundowns has 1.9 million followers on TikTok. The article credits Pirates’ lead to its domestic form as reigning league champions and its marketing team, and says Chiefs’ struggles over the past 12 years appear to be reflected in slower social media growth.