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Bulawayo Bureau
THIRTY-ONE percent of paternity tests done at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) over the past 15 months came out negative, clearing 13 men in the disputed paternity cases.
The DNA profiling tests, also known as genetic fingerprinting, were done at the Bulawayo university’s Applied Genetics Testing Centre (AGTC) between April 2015 and last month.
DNA testing is the most advanced and accurate technology to determine parentage.
NUST’s AGTC chairperson Mr Zephaniah Dhlamini said a total of 42 paternity tests were done during the period.
“The outcomes revealed that they were 29 inclusions meaning the father was positive and 13 exclusions where the results between the father and child were negative. This means 31 percent of the people who were said to be fathers in disputed cases, were not. The paternity test costs $100 per head, so if we’re testing the father, mother and the child the total cost for the test will be $300,” said Mr Dhlamini.
Doing DNA profiling at NUST costs significantly less than what Zimbabweans pay to have it done outside the country.
A lawyer said it costs about $500 for couples to take their blood samples to South Africa for the test.
Mr Dhlamini said it takes about eight hours to arrive at the results of paternity tests.
“However, it is more cost effective to do the tests in larger batches. So we have resorted to conducting them every two weeks.
“This implies that if you are lucky and be the last person to submit your samples you can get the required results within 24 hours,” he said.
NUST’s AGTC comes as a relief to some men who were forced to take their samples to South Africa for the test at higher cost.
Historian and social commentator Mr Pathisa Nyathi said some men who fail to raise money to pay for DNA tests might be maintaining other men’s children.
“There are many men who think that they are parents when they are not. There are many social fathers with social children. This only proves the cultural aspect that says the only person who knows who the father of a child is, is the mother,” said Mr Nyathi.
A local gender activist said women were sometimes forced by circumstances beyond their control to cheat.
“We admit that there are women who deliberately cheat on men but we must consider that it is the same men who impregnate women and then deny responsibility”, she said.
Online Reporter