“72% of Zimbabwean Men Raising Children Who Aren’t Theirs” – Hopewell Chin’ono Speaks on Bindura Deputy Head’s DNA Scandal

A recent episode of the Tinashe Mugabe DNA Show has ignited a national conversation about paternity fraud, with prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono weighing in on what he calls a “national crisis.”

The show featured a deputy headmistress from Chiwaridzo Primary School, who was confronted with the results of a DNA test involving her 22-year-old child, now studying medicine at the University of Zimbabwe.

The man who had raised the child for over two decades was revealed to be 0% biologically related.

According to the show, the stepfather discovered messages between the biological father and the mother, in which the real father was inquiring about the child’s well-being.

Shockingly, the child had even been named after the stepfather’s own father, deepening the betrayal.

Taking to Facebook, Chin’ono expressed admiration for the man’s resilience.

“May the Lord bless this man. He married a lying and cheating woman, yet raised her child as his own. He is proud of what he did—raising a child who is now in, or has completed, medical school,” he wrote. “There is a difference between a biological father and the one who raises you. One made you, but the other made you matter.”

Chin’ono further called for compulsory DNA testing at birth, citing statistics that suggest 72% of men who request paternity tests in Zimbabwe are not the biological fathers.

“Men would be fools not to have a DNA test for peace of mind,” he declared. “It’s a mess!”

The story has sparked an emotional and divided reaction online.

One commenter wrote:

“He raised someone else’s seed. Christianity may help him cope, but the lady knew what she was doing. She chose the man for her own benefit, not the child’s.”

Another pointed out the complexity of the case, referencing allegations of domestic violence, saying the man had suspected something earlier and had already conducted a prior DNA test.

A more extreme comment blamed paternity fraud on non-virgin women, arguing,

“To reduce paternity fraud, marry a virgin. Don’t normalize raising another man’s child. It’s not a flex—it’s betrayal.”

Many women also weighed in, questioning the deputy head’s moral standing and emotional composure during the show.

“Mai Simba failed us as women. She told her story like a victim, but the truth shows something more sinister,” one woman wrote. “If things had gone differently, Baba Simba could have ended up in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.”

Another suggested legislative reform rather than costly DNA testing:

“We don’t need compulsory DNA tests—we need to criminalize paternity fraud. Place police officers at Mugabe’s show. Once it says ‘excluded,’ someone must go to jail.”