The Sunday Mail
National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) has dismissed allegations by musician Alick Macheso that DNA testing done through their facilitation was opaque.
Responding to a letter from Macheso’s lawyers disputing the results, NBSZ public affairs manager Esther Massundah said “those who allege that NBSZ tampers with the results are disgruntled persons who expected a different outcome. It is not possible for any member of staff to tamper with the result.
“All procedures for collecting samples are transparent to the clients attending.
“If anyone has a case against NBSZ they should feel free to challenge NBSZ and the laboratory in South Africa that does the tests. NBSZ dismisses the allegations with the contempt that it deserves”.
In another statement, NBSZ insisted that the paternity tests were carried out according to set standards.
“Macheso is free to contact the South African lab directly as well as to seek a second opinion from any other reputable laboratory of his choice locally or abroad.”
Responding to some of the queries raised in the letter written by Macheso’s lawyer, Norman Mugiya, NBSZ also cleared the air on the issue of a Mapako who works for the organisation.
“Yes we can confirm that we have a Mapako here who is not a director as alleged by Mr Macheso but is one of our managers.
“Further I want to state as a matter of fact that Tonderai Mapako who works here is not in any way related to Tafadzwa Mapako,” said Massundah in an earlier interview.
The letter from Macheso’s lawyers also questioned why the results were first made known to Mapako before Macheso, who requested and paid for the tests.
But NBSZ said Macheso’s lawyers actually collected the results first.
“When the results were confirmed and released from (South Africa) both parties were advised to collect them. Macheso’s lawyers were the first to pick them on the 18th of June 2014. These were signed for which means a record is in place including the date acknowledging this.
This is standard procedure that the results are signed for as record.”
Macheso’s lawyers also accuse NBSZ of sitting on the results for a week.
“We have noted that the results were scanned and printed out on the 12th of June 2014 at 11:44am yet the same results were made known to our client on June 19 2014, and Mapako was already aware of results prior to them being made known to our client.”
However, the NBSZ counter-argues that it is standard procedure that there are preliminary results and the final results.
“It is standard procedure for the South African laboratory to scan and email preliminary results and follow these up with a final result later.
In this case the preliminary result was released on the 12th of June whilst the substantive report only became available on June 17 2014.
“Therefore, it is not correct that NBSZ sat on the results for a week as only the confirmed results are released to the client and not the preliminary,” read the statement.
The statement went on to explain the process of paternity testing and rules governing the procedure.
“NBSZ only accepts requests and bookings for parentage testing from registered lawyers or the magistrates’ courts.
All persons requesting such a service have to go through their lawyer or upon the request of the magistrate to NBSZ. NBSZ does not itself carry out any paternity tests but sends the specimens to be tested to South Africa.
“On the day assigned to the clients, it is a requirement that the mother, the alleged father and the child/baby are all present at the same time at the premises of the NBSZ in Harare.
“The mother has to confirm the identity of the alleged father and similarly the alleged father has to identify the mother.
“All identity documents are checked and photographs of each person taken and each signs on the other confirming that, indeed, that is the mother or alleged father.
“The mother identifies the child and produces the birth certificate of the child or the child produces his ID, if over 16 years of age.
“Specimens are drawn from each of the individuals in the presence of each other and put on a blotting paper supplied by the laboratory in South Africa. The blotting paper samples are then put into a courier bag in their presence, sealed and immediately sent to the courier for onward transmission to South Africa.
“When the test results are received by NBSZ these are photocopied and filed. The original report goes to the lawyer or magistrates’ court as the case applies.”
