And the Father of the Year 2023 award goes to … drum roll … TT Mbha!
Thato “TT” Mbha, a media personality and businessman, warmed the hearts of many South Africans by sharing a cute video of himself gifting his teenage daughter, TJ (Thato Junior), an adorable care package to keep her comfortable during her periods.
In the video shared on his Instagram, on Wednesday, Mbha, who likes documenting special moments with his two daughters Thato and Tumi, is seen walking into her daughter’s room with a package filled with sanitary pads and treats.
As he sits down, next to his daughter, Mbha is heard saying: “I got a surprise for you. Remember we had a conversation about menstruation with Mommy, not long ago?
“So I’ve decided to create a happy pack for you … the day you go through period pains, you have things that you use while going through that.”
The care package also contains children’s books about menstruation and periods, sanitary pads, wipes, pain tablets and of course some candy.
The doting father also penned a moving tribute to his daughter, which read: “Dear Dr Thato Mbha, being your father is by far my greatest blessing. I always want to be your best friend that you can always count on.
“You’re a beautiful & intelligent 11-year-old young lady who is so respectful and kind. I want to always be part of your life’s journey during the good and bad times.
“Every time you look at this box it must be a reminder of my love for you. Seeing you grow into this beautiful young lady makes me proud. I want to learn everything about menstruation so that you and I can always have open conversations about everything. I love you.”
Fans and celebs took to Mbha’s comments section, commending him on the thoughtful gift and also labelling him the best dad.
Mafikizolo star Nhlanhla Mafu wrote: “Best dad Award goes to you hands down 👏👏👏👏👏👏❤️”
Actress Zenande Mfenyana said: “This is beautiful”
An Instagram user who goes by the name Nunu Khanye said:” Every little girl deserves a Dad like you ❤️❤️”
In a previous interview with IOL Lifestyle’s sister publication “Sunday Independent” (“SI”), Mbha spoke about the importance of parenthood.
Mbha told “Sunday Independent” that when he started sharing videos with his daughters on his Instagram timeline during the lockdown in 2020, he “didn’t think he was onto something”.
I started sharing videos of myself with my daughters, of us doing whatever activities we could in the house.
“My followers then asked when we’d be doing a reality TV show. I don’t like being on a reality TV show because I’ve been on one before and people on social media can be nasty because you become too exposed.
“I then decided to use social media to tell a story of what I wanted people to see and whatever message I want to convey. I decided to start a page for my daughters because everyone loved them and I wanted to see how that would go,” he said.
In March 2021 Mbha launched “Amatyma” (fathers), a movement for men to facilitate programmes that deal with issues affecting men such as fatherhood, financial wellness and gender-based violence.
“At first it was supposed to be a fun page of me sharing pictures with my daughters and encouraging other dads to do the same. Our inbox was flooded,” he told “SI”.
“I was then given an idea to expand it and use the platform to get men to talk. I was told to have fun, but still have substance over the ‘Amatyma’ movement.
“I then decided to create a movement for responsible fathers who are single, married, divorced and widowed. While that covers everyone, I wanted to target fathers who are heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual. I’ve included everyone.”