Sperm donor ordered to pay child support for twins

Updated Aug. 7, 2025, 5:42 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast / Skyye Ndlovu

He thought he was making a “deposit” and walking away. Now he’s got a debit order from life itself.

In what can only be described as “The Bold and the Bio-Logically Confused,” a Johannesburg man has found himself financially tied to twins he technically helped create.

Mr. Anonymous (who we can only assume is now Googling “cost of vasectomy” and “how to disappear legally”) decided to donate his swimmers to his ex-girlfriend after their relationship ended.

A licensed fertility clinic handled the transaction, and he even signed a “Sperm Donor Consent” form using an alias - like a real Mission: Impossible moment.

Sadly, this mission didn’t self-destruct… it multiplied.

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Turns out, he and the ex were still playing on-again, off-again, like a dodgy WiFi connection.

Along the way, he allegedly dropped a few eWallets and maybe even bought a Happy Meal or two.

In the court’s eyes, this looked a lot like parenting.

So when the ex lost her job and needed support for the twins, she knocked on the legal door and the Johannesburg High Court answered with, “Children’s rights first, sir - now open that wallet.”

The court said the man failed to prove he had a legally binding agreement waiving his rights and responsibilities.

Instead, the judge cited the Children’s Act, which basically goes: “If these kids see you as dad and you’ve acted like dad, congratulations! You're dad.”

The man’s attempt to get out of maintenance was dismissed faster than your UberEats refund request.

He now has to cough up child support, despite his original plan being “anonymous contribution, no strings attached.”

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This ruling has sparked serious legal debates.

Sperm donors across the country are nervously clutching their NDAs and wondering if they accidentally fathered someone’s Grade 3 netball team.

It also raises major questions like when does a donation become a declaration of parenthood? Or what legal protections do sperm donors really have?

So gentlemen, if you’re planning on donating sperm, please use a licensed clinic, sign contracts with real names and maybe don’t keep dating your recipient like it’s a part-time job.

In the world of family law, “biological contribution” might just cost you school fees, winter clothes, and that new Xbox you were saving for.