“Not Too Late to Give Up”: Zim Man’s Afrikaans Lessons Leave Mzansi in Stitches

“Not Too Late to Give Up”: Zim Man’s Afrikaans Lessons Leave Mzansi in Stitches

  • King of Sungura, a Zimbabwean TikToker, set himself a bold challenge to speak Afrikaans fluently within 5 months
  • The man used a preschool-level Afrikaans workbook for his Day 2 lesson, struggling through the basics in the most entertaining way
  • South Africans watching online could not hold back their laughter, with some sharing tips and others questioning the mission entirely
King of Sungura
Screenshots taken from the clip. Images: King of Sungura
Source: TikTok

A Zimbabwean man known on TikTok as King of Sungura has set himself a mission that has South Africa thoroughly entertained. His goal is simple on paper: speak Afrikaans fluently within five months.

Day 2 of the challenge did not exactly inspire confidence

In the video, filmed inside a car, King of Sungura sits with what appears to be an Afrikaans preschool workbook open in his hands. The illustrated pages show basic vocabulary like “KOS” (food) and “KAT” (cat). Despite the beginner-level material, the sounds coming out of his mouth had Mzansi completely beside themselves.

Read also

"This finished me": SA in stitches over learners’ morning greeting after teacher builds 6-room house

Learning Afrikaans from scratch

PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.

King of Sungura appears to be tackling the language from the ground up. The attempt is endearing, slightly chaotic, and relatable to anyone who has ever tried to wrap their tongue around Afrikaans for the first time.

His pronunciation had South Africans in the comments section split between offering genuine help and gently suggesting he reconsider the whole thing.

Watch King of Sungura tackle Day 2 of his Afrikaans learning journey:

Mzansi reacts to the Afrikaans challenge

South Africans flooded the comments with a mix of coaching, scepticism, and pure amusement:

@Nadia King said:

“The way you would say ‘ear’ but without the r and put a g in front. G-E-A. Remember, in Afrikaans the g must be pronounced - like your throat is itching. And pronounce ‘vir’ like you would ‘fur’. Hope this helps. 😁”

@shev_lamza wrote:

“Let Afrikaans die 😱, I failed it in school. My Zulu is better.”

Read also

Fans praise KB Motsilanyane and call for more screen time

@SBB Rugby suggested:

“🤣 Rather start with ‘Die Hond Blaf’” (The dog barks)

@Tumzacat observed:

“You sound French. 😱”

Whether King of Sungura reaches fluency by month five remains to be seen. One thing is certain though: Mzansi will be watching every step of the way.

More challenges that left SA in stitches

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Jim Mohlala avatar

Jim Mohlala (Editor) Jim Mohlala is a Human Interest writer for Briefly News (joined in 2025). Mohlala holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Media Leadership and Innovation and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He started his career working at the Daily Maverick and has written for the Sunday Times and TimesLIVE. Jim has several years of experience covering social justice, crime and community stories. You can reach him at jim.mohlala@briefly.co.za