PSPF’s genetic profiling to end DNA disputes

Eswatini Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF) has encouraged members to undergo genetic profile testing during their lifetime to help resolve inheritance and DNA disputes.

This will allow a person’s DNA profile to be stored and used to test for paternity after the person has passed on. The test is conducted on one person at a cost of E1 600.

The initiative, PSPF says, could help families avoid bitter inheritance disputes and paternity conflicts after the death of a loved one.

The fund said the programme, undertaken in partnership with Cerba Lancet Eswatini, provides individuals with a unique DNA profile that can be stored and later used to verify biological relationships in cases where pension benefits are contested.

According to PSPF, the move was prompted by the growing number of disputes involving members who die leaving behind children whose paternity is questioned by relatives seeking to share in the deceased’s benefits.

The fund noted that, in some instances, family members had disputed that certain children were biologically related to the deceased long after the member’s death.

“The Fund is experiencing problems in a number of cases involving the distribution of the death benefit of members who have minor children with disputed paternity,” the fund’s Communication Professional, Thandeka Mamba, said.

PSPF explained that traditional DNA tests become difficult to conduct once the alleged father has died, particularly when there are no preserved samples or close relatives available for comparison.

“The main problem is usually that there is always no one in the family, be it a father, aunt, brother, sister, son or daughter, whose DNA results confirm that he or she is related to the deceased and whose blood samples can be used for kinship testing against the disputed children,” the statement reads.

Under the initiative, individuals undergo genetic profiling while they are still alive.

Their DNA information is then securely stored and can later be used to settle paternity disputes and determine whether children are biologically related to them.

The fund said this approach offered a practical solution to one of the most emotionally charged and divisive issues that often emerged after the death of a family member.

“The biggest challenge is that there is often no living family member who has already been scientifically proven by DNA tests to be biologically related to the deceased person,” PSPF said.

The fund noted that a DNA sample from a deceased person could later be compared with samples from disputed children to establish biological relationships with certainty.

Beyond inheritance disputes, PSPF said genetic profiling represented a significant step in modern forensic science because it provides accurate and reliable information that can help resolve family conflicts before they escalate into lengthy legal battles.

The fund encouraged members to take advantage of the service while they are still alive to spare their loved ones unnecessary disputes and delays in accessing pension benefits.

PSPF said early participation in the programme would make it easier for families to settle inheritance matters fairly and efficiently, while ensuring that children entitled to benefits were not unfairly excluded.

The fund believes the initiative has the potential to transform the way paternity and inheritance disputes are resolved in the country, where disagreements over the distribution of estates and pension benefits have, in some cases, led to protracted family conflicts.

DNA PROFILES CAN BE STORED FOR 10 YEARS – LAB

Genetic profiles generated through DNA testing can be safely stored for up to 10 years and later used to resolve paternity and inheritance disputes, particularly in cases where the alleged father has died.

This was revealed by Thandanani Dlamini of Cerba Lancet Eswatini, who said the laboratory preserves DNA profiles for a decade, allowing families to settle disputes without having to exhume the deceased or rely on less conclusive methods.

Dlamini was speaking on national radio in the wake of the Eswatini Public Service Pensions Fund’s introduction of a genetic profiling initiative aimed at addressing disputes involving pension beneficiaries.

He explained that, unlike ordinary DNA tests conducted after disputes arise, genetic profiling involves taking a DNA sample from an individual while they are still alive and storing the results securely for future use.

“This DNA is done on one person and their results are kept in a safe place. The member can get a copy and keep it elsewhere,” he said.

According to Dlamini, the stored profile can later be compared with samples from individuals whose biological relationship to the deceased is being questioned.

“In the event of a dispute, the sample of the disputed person is analysed and matched with the one of the dead person,” he explained.

The initiative seeks to address one of the most difficult issues facing families and institutions after the death of a breadwinner: disputes over whether certain children are biologically related to the deceased and therefore entitled to inherit from the estate or receive pension benefits.

Dlamini said advances in science had made it possible to establish family relationships in a reliable manner without disturbing the remains of the deceased.

“Scientists have given us a method to check in a more reliable way without disturbing the deceased. The process takes up to five weeks to complete,” he said.

Besides genetic profiling, Cerba Lancet offers a range of DNA-related services, including paternity testing, maternity testing and parentage testing to establish biological relationships between parents and children.

The laboratory also conducts kinship testing, which is commonly used to determine whether people are naturally related. Examples include establishing links between grandparents and grandchildren or determining whether children share the same father.

Dlamini said kinship testing, which costs E2 330 per person, is often requested when a family member has died and relatives wish to determine whether a child belongs to the deceased.

He further assured the public that Cerba Lancet Eswatini is fully certified to conduct the tests and produce accurate results in a secure environment.