Stolen content? What really happened between influencers Nara Smith and Onezwa Mbola

There is never a dull moment on social media, and a new scandal is brewing between two TikTok influencers - Nara Smith and Onezwa Mbola.

Nara, whose father is German and mother is South African, currently resides in America with her husband, Lucky Blue Smith, and their three children, Rumble Honey, Slim Easy, and Whimsy Lou. 

She gained popularity on social media for creating meals from scratch and is often called a "tradwife influencer". Nara has more than eight-million followers on TikTok. 

Onezwa, who is known for her farm-to-table content, is often called South Africa's Nara Smith. However, she asks: "How am I a version of her when she is stealing my content?"

Onezwa has accused Nara of getting inspiration for her popular recipes from her social media pages. 

She recently took to social media to tell a disturbing tale about a popular international influencer who shamelessly copies her ideas. 

"The reason I'm taking a break is that for months, I have watched a very, very popular content creator use my ideas... They have continuously used my ideas to get views. That would be fine, except in SA, we don't get paid for views, and where she is, they are paid for views. She has been making money by stealing my content," she said. 

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The former 'MasterChef' contestant claims the influencer changes the videos enough to avoid being accused of stealing, but she strongly believes that Nara has been recreating her ideas.

Onezwa used the example of a boba tea (bubble tea) video she created. Nara apparently posted a boba tea video of her own shortly after she shared hers. 

“Recently, I made boba tea; we all saw it, we all loved it, and I was so very proud of that video...A day later, she made a boba video. You might say it may be a coincidence. That would be fine if it was a coincidence, except it is a coincidence that happens very often."

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Onezwa's boba tea video

Nara's boba tea video

Nara's boba tea video got more than 20-million views on TikTok. Her Instagram page has also grown by the thousands since Onezwa spoke out. 

Onezwa says she is "very disheartened" by what is happening because Nara's videos get millions of views, and she is also making a lot of money from them.

"She's making thousands of dollars in views, and I am lucky to get a brand collaboration every three months. I'm so heartbroken and  I feel like it is not worth it for me anymore.  Imagine if you made something for free, and somebody took it and made thousands of dollars out of it. How would you feel?"

South Africans have been commenting on Nara's TikTok videos, asking her where she gets her ideas.

"This one I just Googled," she said about her boba tea video. "But usually, I come up with a lot of them."

Nara replied to another comment: "I’ve never seen her videos nor do I follow her … I’m not the first or last person to make boba."

However, screenshots shared online show that Nara did at some point come across Onezwa's account. "I'm sorry you have to deal with these comments. Your content is so inspiring," she allegedly commented under one of Onezwa's posts. 

Social media users have been reacting to Onezwa's videos. While some have shown her sympathy, others say many content creators make similar videos.

"Nara Smith haters claim she's copying Onezwa. Onezwa haters claim she's copying nara smith. Meanwile both Onezwa and Nara Smith, as well as everybody else in this genre, are copying," one X user wrote.

Another user wrote: "Onezwa does farm-to-table videos, and Nara Smith does everything from scratch using store-bought products; they're both great."

A third wrote: "I really don't understand people who are bashing Onezwa for speaking her truth and exposing Nara Smith who was constantly stealing her ideas. Y'all are classists."

Many also noted that Nara and Onezwa have different aesthetics, and even when they create similar content, each influencer's style is still unique. 

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Did Nara Smith really threaten to sue Onezwa Mbola?

While several videos and social media posts have claimed that Nara is suing Onezwa, there is no evidence to suggest that the letter going viral is actually from Nara or her team.

The letter appears to be a fabrication. 

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Main image credit: Instagram/@naraaziza, @onezwambola