We Want To Know, Who’s Your Daddy?

Parenting, though tough at times, is often painted as a beautiful and rewarding journey. But what happens when one of the parents won’t step up to their role? Worse yet, what happens when one parent is suspected of lying about the child’s DNA?

That is what happened to these ZAlebs, who have had nasty public drama surrounding their bundles of joy. This is a list of celebrities who have been forced to prove the paternity of their children for some reason. 

Radio personality Zukiswa “Zookey” Vutela had one of the longest and most public paternity wrangles witnessed in Mzansi. When she alleged that Generations hunk Khumbulani “Kay” Sibiya had fathered her daughter, the country was shook.

It got even nastier when Kay denied these allegations. What resulted was a long legal battle, for more than three years, in which Zookey has been forced to prove the child’s paternity.

Read more: Kay Sibiya’s paternity drama

According to Zookey, a laboratory had already confirmed his paternity, but Kay refused to accept it, and was seeking another laboratory that would give him the answer he wanted. As of 2020, the saga had gotten Zookey fired, and Kay had still rejected responsibility for the baby.

Kay has since fathered a child he publicly claims with his partner, Judie Kama.

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A post shared by @kay_sibiya (@kay_sibiya)

 

Actress and TV presenter Thembisa Nxumalo was aired out to dry by fellow actor and ex-husband, Atandwa Kani, when he made a public announcement that he had raised her children for years, only to find out that they were not his.

According to Atandwa, he had requested the test multiple times over many years, but the actress always responded with hostility. She finally accepted, and he found out the news that broke his heart and ultimately led to their separation.

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A post shared by Thembisa Nxumalo (nèe Mdoda) (@thembisamdoda)

Thembisa found love again, and is now married, although she keeps her relationship largely private.

Read more: Atandwa Kani reveals all about Thembisa Mdoda and kids’ paternity

Former stripper Nomzamo Hlela made headlines when she alleged that Generations icon, the late Menzi Ngubane, had fathered her son.

Menzi was surprisingly agreeable to the paternity test when Nomzamo requested one, as she knew the public was not inclined to believe her word over his.

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A post shared by Menzi Ngubane Foundation SA🇿🇦 (@menzingubanesa)

However, the results cleared the actor, revealing that he was 99.9% cleared from paternity. Not much has been heard from Nomzamo since.

Read also: Menzi Ngubane’s Wife: ‘I Am Broken’

Ever heard that saying about life imitating art? Well, kwaito musician and actor Bonginkosi Dlamini, popularly known as Zola 7, lived the irony of the century.

He was the host of a hit reality show on Mzansi Magix, Utatakho, whose premise was conducting paternity tests for those who were having fatherhood and trust issues. Meanwhile, he had rejected paternity of his ex-girlfriend Garnett Maseko’s two children.

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A post shared by Bonginkosi Zola Dlamini (@jamazola7)

Read also: Zola 7 accused of abusing his wife

To make matters worse, according to Garnett, Zola completely refused to take a paternity test, even though she had asked him for one multiple times. To the best of our knowledge, the saga is yet to be resolved. 

It is unfortunate that the children get caught in the middle of such drama, yet sometimes we see the necessity. For those that are yet to be resolved, we hope they figure it out soon, for the sake of the kids, if for nothing else.