Positive news is that South African men are gradually rewriting the rules of fatherhood. Anecdotal evidence suggests a marked increase in fathers participating in antenatal education and early infant care.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has called on Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development to urgently investigate what it describes as a growing but largely overlooked crisis of fathers being denied meaningful access to their children.
In a letter dated July 6, 2026, to the committee’s chairperson, Bridget Masango, ATM Chief Whip Hon. Thandiswa Marawu urged the committee to convene a public hearing at the start of Parliament’s Third Term, arguing that the issue has remained absent from the legislative agenda for far too long.
“South Africa is confronted with a silent crisis that receives far too little attention from policymakers and legislators,” Marawu wrote.
The letter argues that while significant attention has rightly been devoted to protecting women and children, far less focus has been placed on the impact on children who are prevented from maintaining relationships with both parents. According to the ATM, children are deprived of the emotional, developmental and financial benefits that come from the active involvement of both parents.
