By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Parliament has been petitioned to introduce mandatory DNA testing in child maintenance cases, a move campaigners say is crucial to protecting men from wrongful imprisonment and financial exploitation.
Kadoma-based entrepreneur and litigation expert, Believe Guta, on Tuesday told the Justice and Legal Parliamentary Portfolio Committee that Zimbabwe’s Maintenance Act must be amended to require proof of paternity before men can be prosecuted for failing to pay child support.
He argued that the current legal framework has resulted in men being jailed for children later proven not to be theirs.
“Section 49(1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees the right to personal liberty, which should not be arbitrarily deprived.
“Yet under the current law, numerous men have been imprisoned in circumstances where paternity was disputed or later disproved,” Guta said.
Guta’s call comes against the backdrop of startling statistics released by one of the country’s leading DNA testing firms, Global DNA Zimbabwe, which revealed that nearly 60 percent of paternity tests conducted in 2024 returned negative results.
The company’s director, Nigel Bothwell, described the findings as a sobering reminder of how often assumptions about family relationships are contradicted by science.
“In 2024 alone, out of all the tests done, 59 percent were negative while 41 percent were positive.
“These figures highlight just how often assumptions about family relationships can be challenged by scientific truth,” Bothwell said.
Global DNA said most tests are carried out in cases involving child support, inheritance disputes, or for peace of mind.
Bothwell added that outcomes are often emotionally charged, ranging from relief and closure to shock and heartbreak.
Guta, who leads the Big Brains Legal Aid Trust, said such statistics underscored the urgent need for legal reform.
He called for Parliament to insert a new clause into the Maintenance Act stipulating that proceedings should only commence once paternity has been established through DNA testing, voluntary acknowledgement, or a court declaration.
“There is no ministry responsible for men, yet we have one for Women’s Affairs.
“The plight of men has been neglected. Many are suffering in silence,” Guta told lawmakers, warning that reputational damage, psychological trauma, and the loss of liberty have been among the consequences of wrongful convictions.
Guta further urged the legislature to introduce a statutory review mechanism to revisit past cases where men may have been wrongly jailed without conclusive proof of fatherhood.
Legal and social analysts say the push for mandatory DNA testing raises sensitive questions about trust, identity, and family dynamics, but also reflects the growing role of science in resolving disputes that once relied solely on personal testimony.
