Dear Editor,WHO is the father of the child? This was the question that confronted the High Court for Zambia in an interesting case involving the sharing of assets of the deceased “child” who died intestate. It appears the case is the first of its kind in Zambia and the High Court had to borrow authorities from the US jurisdiction to solve the puzzle.You see, a man fathered a child whom he did not recognise or support throughout his life even though the birth certificate carried his surname. But when obtaining the NRC, the mother of the child changed his surname to hers because the father of the child was nowhere to be seen. In short, the biological father disappeared!At 35 years, the “child” died and left some property forming his estate. The biological father reappeared and demanded for his share in line with the Intestate Succession Act of Zambia. Parents are entitled to benefit from the […]
WHO IS THE FATHER OF THE CHILD?
