A shocking DNA revelation has led a Northern Hhohho teacher to demand E10 000 in compensation from a woman who allegedly made him believe he was the father of her four-year-old child.
The money represents part of the maintenance he paid since the child’s birth, which he now claims was done under false pretences. The matter came before Pigg’s Peak Magistrate Nkosingiphile Maseko.
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The child’s mother, also a teacher, had approached the court seeking an order to have the Births, Marriages and Deaths (BMD) Department remove the complainant’s name from the birth certificate. She asked that the biological father’s name be included instead.
The two had conceived the child in 2021 while still studying at a tertiary institution. A DNA test later confirmed that the complainant was not the biological father.
Compensation Demand
Upon learning the results, the complainant applied for compensation, arguing that he had spent over E25 000 on the child since birth. He told the court he was being lenient by asking for only E10 000.
Magistrate Maseko ruled in his favour, ordering the BMD Department to delete the complainant’s details from the child’s birth certificate with immediate effect. The court further directed the mother to compensate him E10 000, payable in monthly instalments of E1 000 through the clerk of court until fully settled.
The case will return to court on October 27 to monitor compliance with the order.
Similar Cases Rising
This is not the first paternity dispute to surface in court. In July, another teacher applied for a DNA test after being dragged to court for failing to maintain a 10-year-old child.
The child’s mother wanted him to pay E1 000 monthly, including seasonal clothing. However, the man said he had stopped payments in December after doubting his paternity, claiming the child’s mother once hinted that he was not the father.
He told the court he would only resume maintenance if DNA results proved the child was his.
