In a contentious ruling, the Johannesburg High Court has ordered South African actress and singer Denise Zimba to return her two daughters to Germany, siding with her estranged husband, Jakob Schlichtig.
The decision, handed down on Friday, mandates that the children aged 19 months and 5 years be sent back to their father’s home country, following claims of unlawful retention under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction.
Schlichtig, a German national, argued that Zimba had kept the children in South Africa without his consent, severing their ties to Germany.
The court ruled in his favor, stressing that separating the girls from their father would cause undue emotional distress.
Zimba accused Schlichtig of infidelity, alleging an affair with her childhood friend, Mpumi Mdluli, and claimed he prioritized his cat’s welfare over family responsibilities.
