As whispers spread among men in taverns with quiet delight, and politicians deliberate on a state-enforced procedure to mandate DNA paternity tests for cohabiting families, Namibia finds itself at a moral and legislative crossroads. The idea, though framed as a step toward eradicating paternity fraud and ensuring children’s rights, has raised alarms over its deeper social, cultural, and political consequences, especially within a traditional African context.
SWAPO parliamentarian Pohamba Shifeta this week reignited the debate by calling for the introduction of compulsory paternity tests for all children born to unmarried couples. Some men have taken their own lives because they were given children, and after that, these children were taken away from them, after some years supporting the child.
Advocates of the proposed biological test claim that DNA paternity testing is the only solution, so that from the start, a man knows whether the child is truly his,” Shifeta stated during the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations’ budget debate in the National Assembly. His proposal reflects a growing sentiment among certain political circles that the emotional and financial distress caused by disputed paternity warrants state intervention.
Shifeta claimed that in some cases, children have been registered with multiple men listed as fathers, leading to confusion and legal entanglements. “Some children are registered to have been fathered by two to three fathers, and they are unknowingly paying maintenance,” he added. Shifeta clarified that such DNA tests should be offered free of charge at public hospitals and administered before the child’s birth is officially registered.
“The intention of bringing that up is that every day you hear a man is disappointed in his partner because he was not informed he is not the real father,” he said, emphasizing that for married couples, participation would remain optional. He justified the proposal as being in the best interest of the child, arguing that children often suffer psychological trauma upon discovering later in life that their legal father is not their biological parent. “They are always left traumatised and embarrassed when they hear that the person they were introduced to as their father is not their real father,” he said, urging the government to finance such testing programs.
However, the proposed policy has not gone unchallenged. Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele, the deputy minister of urban and rural development, criticized the discourse as being one-sided and unfairly targeting women. “You men have been going to that woman. There is no way that I will call out Venaani’s name if Venaani was never close to me,” she said in defense of women’s dignity during the heated debate.
The conversation, initially sparked by Affirmative Repositioning legislator Tuhafeni Kalola, suggested that women sometimes misidentify fathers for economic survival — a claim that brings into focus the harsh socioeconomic realities faced by many Namibian women. “It should be criminalised for real, because you find out that men have been given children that don’t belong to them,” Kalola said, advocating for legal consequences against paternity fraud.
Chief Andrew Kgosiemang of Botswana, responding to Namibia’s proposal, gave a more reflective cultural perspective. “If I raise a child and I am not the father, it’s better for me to not know and just raise the child. That’s my stance. That’s how the elders raised us,” he said, capturing a worldview where fatherhood is less about biology and more about social responsibility and care.
Indeed, this proposal, while arguably logical in legal and administrative terms, clashes with long-standing African cultural virtues and values. In many African communities, fatherhood is shaped by kinship and families bound by customary lineage, not merely biological connections. Men often raise children they did not biologically sire, guided by cultural duty and family honor rather than genetic ties.
Mandatory testing could unravel these important social fabrics. It risks alienating children, disrupting stable homes, and increasing violence or abandonment when paternity is contested. It could stigmatize women, leading to violations of privacy and bodily autonomy. And politically, it opens the door for the state to intrude into deeply personal realms, redefining family based on science rather than culture.
Chapter 3 of Namibia’s Constitution, titled Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, Article 15 – Children’s Rights, Section (1), affirms that:
“Children shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and, subject to legislation enacted in their best interests, as far as possible the right to know and be cared for by their parents.”
But does mandatory DNA testing truly guarantee better care? Or could it instead lead to more fatherless homes, deepen distrust in relationships, and provoke a new form of social exclusion? The broader family values must be treated carefully—DNA paternity testing should remain a family matter, not a government obligation.
While technology offers tools for clarity, the pursuit of truth must not come at the expense of dignity, tradition, and social cohesion. The real challenge is not whether to address paternity issues, but how to do so without unraveling the very fabric that still holds communities together.