A South African man has surprised many on the platform X – formerly known as Twitter – after showing a threatening and strict message from his stepson.

The man, named Dr. Shiyakilenga, posted a picture of a conversation on WhatsApp with someone he claimed was his stepson.

He said he was shocked to receive the message, where his stepson gave him a stern warning against trying to discipline him at all because he is not his biological father.

"I am not your son; don't you dare even try to discipline me," the message from the person claiming to be his stepson read.

Dr. Shiyakilenga said that the warning message from the child he had accepted to raise as his own after marrying his mother left him in great shock, unsure of what to do.

What confused him more was that after showing the child's mother, who is his wife, the message, she said the child was right to demand that he not be spanked, as his responsibility ends at just raising him as a stepfather and not disciplining him.

"My stepson sent me this text, I showed it to his mother and she said he is right. I tried to take action but it backfired. I have given up," he said.