Court reveals man ‘not the biological parent of the kids’ during custody battle

A four-year custody battle turned into heartbreak after a court judgment revealed the children were not related to the father.

Solomon Mondlane, a member of a group known as the Hunger Strike Fathers, had been involved in a custody battle against his late wife’s parents … but lost the case on Monday.

He said the court found “I’m not the biological parent of the daughter, nor son, thus the grandparents are granted full custody”.

The court was requested to remove his name from anything that has to do with the two children, Mondlane said.

“The court is not following events which have made the children finally say they no longer want to see their father. Surprisingly, even the younger one, whose relationship pleased the social worker last year, changed to say he no longer wants to see his father as per the social worker’s statement.

“They have never been my children – that’s the indirect conclusion of a new presiding officer. We just have to stop there,” Mondlane added.

He was one of two fathers who embarked on an 11-day hunger strike in front of the department of social development in Pretoria in February 2020.

Castro Musinyali, chair of We Are Fathers We Are Parents Forum, said the outcome affirmed the unrepentant position of the childcare system.

“The maternal grandparents forced his child into their care and five years later the social workers and the court reward them for their unlawful conduct.”