City Makoti and her husband, Sihle Dambuza, are proving that the most important lessons often happen at home.
In a video that melted hearts across social media, the couple offered a glimpse into their evening routine as they dedicated their bedtime story session to teaching their son, Zakkie, his father’s home language – isiXhosa.
The clip, posted on 4 March 2026, captures the couple’s dedication to the lesson as the award-winning influencer, real name Anika Dambuza, reads the names of animals while her husband assists with pronunciation.
They adopted Izilwane Ezili 100 Zokuqala by children’s author Roger Priddy, the founder of Priddy Books, to help the nine-month old learn his first words.
“Bedtime isiXhosa lessons for Zakkie. After 15 minutes, he was asleep, and I know a few animals in isiXhosa.”
Meanwhile, the toddler’s apparent disinterest is what captured the hearts of many followers. Little Zakkie can be seen focusing on the lesson for some time before being distracted by the camera and his bottle, and later drifting to sleep.
The heartwarming scene reminded everyone that parenting takes patience, especially when trying to pass down cultural roots to the next generation.
Even though Zakkie was more interested in his bottle and a nap than his new words, his parents’ effort struck a chord with many South African parents facing the same struggle.
Watch the Dambuzas’ video below.
Online users admired City Makoti’s efforts in learning new Xhosa words, while others laughed at Zakkie’s disinterest. Read some of their comments below.
“Mama and dada teaching each other at Zakkie’s expense.”
The video arrived after the Dambuzas faced a social media storm over the dynamics of their marriage. However, as the dust settled, the clip sparked a wave of joy among followers who praised the couple for making heritage a priority, even if the “lesson” was inadvertently cut short by Zakkie’s sleep schedule.
In an earlier report, Briefly News shared online reactions to videos of City Makoti and her family’s outing.
Following the online backlash, the influencer made it a point to ignore the drama and focus on her career while showcasing the heartfelt moments with her little family to her loyal supporters.
