Less than a third of SA children raised by biological fathers — new report

Kobus Erasmus

A recent report found that 40.3% of South African children are being raised by “social fathers”, or men who are not their biological fathers. 

This is according to the 2024 State of South African Fathers (SOSAF) report, which also found that 64.5% of South African children do not live with their biological fathers.

The report highlighted an evolving understanding of the societal roles of fathers and fatherhood, beyond the historically limited roles of biological fathers, said Dr Wessel van den Berg, co-editor of SOSAF 2024 and MenCare officer at Equimundo: Centre for Masculinities and Social Justice.

“The report noted how several media outlets like Takalani Sesame, Fathers Matter, and independent productions, like the amaGents film, all emphasized fathering provided to children by uncles, coaches, and teachers,” said Van den Berg.

“This finding is crucial because it challenges the traditional notion of fatherhood being solely tied to biological connections,” said Van den Berg, in conversation with SMF News. “[It also] emphasizes the importance of recognizing and supporting the diverse forms of fatherhood that exist in South Africa.”

The report, launched in the Neelsie cinema in Stellenbosch on 4 February, was conducted by the collaborative Tataokhona project. This is according to professor Kopano Ratele of the Stellenbosch University (SU) department of psychology, principal of the Tataokhona project and co-editor of SOSAF 2024. 

“The lead people [from Tataokhona] come from the Africa Health Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Equimundo, and Stellenbosch University,” said Ratele. “As a group we have one [goal] in mind: we want to make men better fathers.”

“The work of changing what fatherhood looks like in South Africa is happening, and it is working,” said Terrence Mentor, an audience member at the launch event and owner of the AfroDaddy parenting blog.