Little girl’s head shaven to cure infection – and her reveal video to her family is everything

This is the cutest video you’ll see today!

Three-year-old Ntandokazi Matikane was playing in the backyard of her family’s in Protea Glen, Johannesburg, one Tuesday afternoon in May when she got covered with sand from head to toe.

Even after her mom, Makhotso Matikane (29), washed the little one’s hair numerous times, there seemed to be a stubborn stain that remained on her scalp. Weeks later, in early July, the parents discovered that their daughter had gotten an infection on her scalp from parasites in the sand.

Makhotso then decided to shave all her daughter’s hair off to properly treat the infection. But the rest of the family objected.

“Everyone was like, ‘Can’t you do something else?’ ” Makhotso tells YOU over a video call.

“Her father [Nkululeko Mahlangu, 29] and her grandmothers were very worried about how she was going to handle it now that it’s winter.”

So before doing the chop, Makhotso says she sat her daughter down and explained to her what she was about to do.

“She understood and was very calm about it; she wasn’t crying. And then when I got a mirror [afterwards] for her, she was so excited. She said, ‘Wow, something new. I look so nice. I look like a boy.’

“She wasn’t freaking out like the family thought she would,” the proud mom says.

As a surprise reveal for the family, Makhotso took a video of Ntandokazi saying, “I’ve got a surprise for you.” She then plucks off the woollen beanie she’s wearing with a triumphant, “Ta-da! Did you love it?”

The toddler’s aunt Mmamosa Mmola often says those words when she brings her niece a gift.

The video clip has since gone viral on Twitter.

“We had loadshedding on that day so my phone was off when it went viral. Later my friends called me to say that my child was going viral and I was overwhelmed to a point where I started shaking so I switched off my phone for a while because it was a lot,” Makhotso says.

“I’m not used to so much [social media] activity. I was wondering if I was supposed to say something?” she adds.

She says Ntandokazi gets along with everyone. She charms people with her bubbly personality and affectionate nature. But although Makhotso is flattered by her daughter becoming an internet sensation, she says she has no intention of putting her child on any other platform.

“People have often said I should try to get her into modelling because she’s not shy and she’s photogenic. I’ve been sceptical about it, especially about the industry. And she’s just a little girl. I don’t want her to be taken advantage of her, I just want her to be a child.

“I don’t want her to change her normal daily life, I don’t want her to be a performer or to feel that she must constantly put up an act or say something cute for attention. And her father shares that sentiment,” she says.

Ntandokazi father, Nkuli, was also stunned by the level of attention the video got on social media.

“He said that we should be careful that no one takes advantage of us using this situation,” Makhotso. “Though it’s great, he’s also like me and we make sure we prioritize the safety of our daughter. We want to keep her very protected.”

Above everything, Makhotso says she’s excited that her daughter has an interesting story to tell when she goes back to school.