A coalition of community organisations has called on Parliament to launch an urgent, multi-committee inquiry into misattributed paternity, unregulated DNA testing and the growing social harm these issues can cause to children and families across South Africa.
The petition was submitted by the Mordecai Ndlovu Foundation, the Mtwalume Youth & Community Development Project in KwaZulu-Natal and the AmahleMzima Foundation in Katlehong, Gauteng. It was tabled in the National Assembly on 6 February 2026 and referred to the Portfolio Committee on Health for consideration and report.
Addressed to Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Ms Thoko Didiza, and copied to several relevant portfolio committee chairpersons, the petition warns of what the organisations describe as an emerging psychosocial and legal crisis.
The organisations say recent tragic incidents, including reported cases of suicide following revelations of misattributed paternity, demonstrate the urgency of the issue. They also raise concerns about harmful digital content involving minors and family disputes, which can spread rapidly online and intensify trauma, public humiliation and emotional distress.
According to the petitioners, while disputes surrounding paternity and family relationships are not new, advances in technology and the widespread use of social media have significantly increased the potential impact on families.
They argue that existing legislation, administrative systems and community support mechanisms have not kept pace with these developments.
The organisations are calling for three key interventions.
The first is the establishment of a joint Parliamentary Inquiry involving the Portfolio Committees on Justice and Correctional Services; Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities; Health; Social Development; and Home Affairs.
The proposed inquiry would investigate possible gaps in legislation, including the Children’s Act, Births and Deaths Registration Act and Maintenance Act. It would also examine voluntary and compulsory DNA testing, paternity confirmation and birth-registration challenges at Home Affairs, genetic privacy, the use of DNA testing, social-media harms and public shaming involving minors.
The petitioners also want Parliament to consider the establishment of accessible, regulated and child-centred mechanisms for paternity testing.
The second proposal is the creation of a multidisciplinary Technical Working Group made up of legal experts, forensic scientists, child-rights specialists, mental-health practitioners, traditional leaders, faith leaders and community organisations.
The group would be tasked with developing proposed amendments to relevant legislation, regulations governing DNA laboratories and testing protocols, guidelines for Home Affairs, courts and social workers, as well as ethical guidelines for the media and social media when dealing with family disputes and matters involving children.
The third proposal is a Community-Based Prevention and Dialogue Programme to be piloted in two provinces over 12 months.
The programme would bring together traditional leaders, pastors and faith-based councils, initiation leaders, men’s and women’s forums, social workers, psychologists, school governing bodies and school leadership, local councillors and youth organisations.
It would focus particularly on adolescents and young adults, addressing family relationships, parental responsibility, conflict resolution, gender-based violence and femicide prevention, digital ethics and the strengthening of community support networks.
The organisations say the proposed interventions could result in a comprehensive Parliamentary Inquiry report containing legislative recommendations, a clear national policy on DNA testing in paternity matters and stronger protection of children’s identity, dignity and personal information.
They also hope the measures will help reduce social-media-driven emotional abuse and public humiliation, improve administrative procedures at Home Affairs and the courts, and strengthen community-based prevention and support systems.
The three organisations have committed to participating in Parliamentary hearings and consultations, supporting the development and piloting of community programmes, providing community data and case studies, and working with government departments and oversight bodies.
They have asked Parliament to prioritise the matter, describing the issue as a crisis affecting one of the country’s most important social institutions — the family.
“South Africa faces a rising psychosocial and digital-era crisis affecting the core unit of society — the family,” the petitioners state. “The well-being of children, parents and entire communities requires Parliament’s urgent and coordinated response.”
The petition was signed by Sizolwenkosi Mordecai Ndlovu, Project Manager of the Mordecai Ndlovu Foundation; Thabani Kalala, Director of the Mtwalume Youth & Community Development Project; and Sindle Clifton Ndamane, Founder of the AmahleMzima Foundation.
