“Zulus Are Cool”: Young Boy Says He Wants to Be Zulu When He Gets Older, SA in Stitches

• A young Sotho boy left viewers charmed after revealing his unusual life goal in a viral TikTok video
• The boy firmly told his mother that he wants to be Zulu when he grows up, and could not explain why
• South Africans praised the child's innocent love for the Zulu people and said it showed he was raised without tribalism
• Briefly News spoke with Melinda Lupindo about the viral video and her son’s love for the Zulu culture

A young South African boy stole hearts across the internet after sharing a life goal nobody saw coming. Posted on 12 July 2026 by TikTok user @luminosa.nova, the clip quickly spread as viewers fell in love with the little boy's answer to a simple question. When his mom, behind the camera, asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, the boy answered without hesitation, saying he wants to be a Zulu person.

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A boy raised without borders

The content creator pushed back playfully, asking whether the boy was sure he did not want to become a doctor instead, but the young man was not swayed. He held his ground, insisting that being Zulu was the dream, even when she pressed him to explain why. He could not find the words, which only made the moment funnier, and the two dissolved into laughter together.

Watch the adorable TikTok clip that has Mzansi laughing and smiling below:

The boy’s love for the Zulu culture explained

The Briefly News team reached out to the young boy's mom, hoping to understand where his love for the Zulu culture comes from. We asked what they were talking about right before he made this hilarious declaration. Melinda responded:

“I asked him what he wanted to become as we were eating dinner as a family and talking. He then said he wants to be Zulu, which came as a surprise to me. I got curious from then. Not a single judgement but excitement that out of all nations/things why being Zulu.”

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We asked if the young boy has Zulu friends, or if he watches a certain show that made him want to be Zulu. She shared:

“He does not have Zulu friends, and he is surrounded by Sotho and Xhosa people. When I asked him, he told me he fell in love with Maskandi; he fell in love with how the Zulu people portray themselves and how confident they are. He sees Zulus as heroes, creating a life that revolves around them.”

When asked how she feels about people praising her parenting for raising him without tribalism, the mom said:

“How I feel about my parenting, well, we are the new generation, and I believe most of us are not closed-minded. We are not exclusive at all. Why am I not judging him for wanting to be Zulu? That’s because he can be anything he wants to be in this world; he has free will. And I will support him in every way I can. He told me he wants a taxi and a wife when he grows up, and if that will make him happy? I am fully supporting it. He can own taxis and be as rich as he wants.”

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Mzansi reacts to the viral clip

Viewers pointed out that a child who grows up admiring another ethnic group like that has never been taught to look down on them. Many praised his mother, saying her parenting was behind his open heart.

User @Bongz said:

"This means that his mom never talks badly about Zulu people. Thank you, Mom. Owethu umshana (this is our nephew)🥰."

User @The Elder shared:

"I once felt the same and moved from Zeerust to Manzimtoti in 1986. I'm now Zulu."

User @Klive Sean wrote:

"AmaZulu are cool people. I also wish to become umZulu, too 😎😂."

User @MakhosiPhahla suggested:

"We must invite him and his mom to a Zulu event, simvunulise [dress him up], and make his dream a reality 🔥."

User @saikidokapital added:

"Zulus are cool, man. I also wanna be Zulu in my next life."

User @Sinqobile Magubane declared:

"Your name is Mnqobi, from now on 🥰."

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3 Briefly News articles about Zulus

• Two young children ran to the arms of Dutch author Rachel John on her return to Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, and warmly embraced her.
• A viral video of a mother hyping up her young boy to the finish line at school athletics touched the hearts of thousands on social media.
• An English mother explained that she has to use multiple languages, including Xhosa, to manage her children when they start misbehaving, leaving social media users in stitches.

Source: Briefly News