adminRuth Butaumocho Gender Editor
With 70 percent of men contesting paternity and willing to pay for DNA tests being found not to be the fathers, some wondered if there was any manipulation possible while others have pointed out that the group going all out to disprove paternity was part of a small minority who were fairly certain to start with that they were not the father.
The National Blood Transfusion Services of Zimbabwe, (NBSZ), which handles the samples before they are taken to South Africa for testing, has detailed the complex procedures followed to ensure there can be no manipulation.
NBSZ public affairs manager, Ms Esther Massundah said there was no way a sample for DNA tests could be manipulated since specimens are taken when both parties are present.
“NBSZ does not itself carry out any paternity test but sends the specimens to be tested to South Africa.
“On the day assigned to the clients, it is a requirement that the mother, the alleged father and the child/baby are all present at the same time at the premises of the NBSZ in Mazowe Street Harare. The mother has to confirm the identity of the alleged father and similarly the alleged father has to identify the mother.
“All identity documents are checked and photographs of each person taken and each signs on the other confirming that indeed that is the mother or alleged father. The mother identifies the child and produces the birth certificate of the child or the child produces his ID if over 16 years of age. Specimens are drawn from each of the individuals in the presence of each other and put on a blotting paper supplied by the laboratory in South Africa, which is then put in the courier bag in their presence, sealed and immediately send to the courier for on-ward transmission to South Africa,” she said.
Ms Massundah added that those who were alleging that NBSZ tampers with the result were disgruntled persons who expected different results, saying there is no way that any member of the staff could tamper with either the samples or the results.
Because the sample was small, and because it was made up of special cases, civic organisations have called for fuller research to find out just what the actual percentage of maintenance cases involve a wrong finding of paternity.
Several civic organisations noted that the 11 cases that had been brought before the courts could not be used as a proper sample, considering that the Harare Magistrates Civil Courts alone deals with 50 maintenance claims daily.
Musasa Project director, Mrs Netty Musanhu said while she did not condone the behaviour of women who were duping men into supporting children that were not theirs, such cases were negligible, and cannot be used as basis to gauge the number of men who are being duped on child support.
“We are looking at 11 cases here against a backdrop of 50 maintenance claims that go through the Harare Magistrates Civil Court daily, never mind other courts elsewhere in Zimbabwe.
“Within that context, we also have hordes of men, who are not maintaining their children, but wait for a court order to compel them to maintain their own children.
“Even after the judgment has been passed, the very same men default on payments, resulting in yet another court order or arrest to force them to support their own children.”
Musanhu urged spouses come up with a holistic approach in dealing with maintenance cases to plug in the loopholes.
An official with Nyakasikana Empowerment Trust said a proper research on the number of men being duped on maintaining children and men who were defaulting on maintenance payments could be used as a basis to formulate a policy to deal with such errant individuals.
A pressure group that advocates for men’s rights, Varume Svinurai however, said the figures of men duped on child support could be higher than those reported, saying there were several men, who would want to go for DNA paternity tests, but were unable to do so, due to the prohibitive costs.
Chairperson of the Varume Svinurai Fred Misi said paternity fees needed to be subsided, to enable more men to access the services.
Online Reporter