Zandile Khumalo-Gumede school drama: husband refuses to let 'Santa' take credit for son’s bike

Zandile Khumalo-Gumede has shared a humorous family moment on Instagram, posting screenshots of her WhatsApp conversation with her husband, Mhlonishwa "Mhlo" Gumede. The couple has a son named Zenala.

In the caption, Zandile joked about the everyday challenges at home, explaining that what stresses her is when her husband refuses to do something but acts like he is joking.

“You will see when he does not do it that he was serious,” she wrote.

The conversation began with a request from the school. Teachers had asked parents to buy gifts for the children, wrap them and leave them at school so the presents could be handed out as if they were from Santa Claus. 

Zandile told her husband that she had planned to drop off Zenala’s new bicycle at school while picking him up.

“Baby, I will drop off the bicycle at school when I pick up Zena,” she wrote.

Mhlonishwa replied, “What bicycle, baby?”

Zandile reminded him, “The one you bought for him, baby. Remember, we must take it to the school so he doesn’t see it, because we're pretending it’s from Santa.”

“Santa?” he responded.

“Yes, baby. They will give all the kids their Christmas presents next week as if Santa bought them,” she explained.

Mhlonishwa’s reaction was firm. “Ungafa! My son needs to know that his father bought him his first real bike now. I don’t want him to be 16 and only then does he realise that ‘dad actually bought me that bike.’ No, there’s no Santa who’s going to take my credit here."

"Buy a pack of marshmallows and give that to the school, and say it’s from Santa. The bike he must know was bought by his father - it’s his first real transport, and it’s important to me.”

Zandile agreed, “Okay, baby.”

He added with humour, “Let Santa pay just one month of school fees first so we can see his power before anything else.”

The exchange quickly gained attention on social media for its mix of humour and parenting principles.

Fans of the couple found the conversation relatable, with many commenting on the father’s insistence that Zenala knows the significance of the gift.