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Literature on fatherhood in Africa is relatively sparse, despite the fact that interest in men’s influence on children’s lives has grown enormously over the last 2 decades. Making use of scholarship on fatherhood and masculinity mainly from South Africa, together with insights from studies in related areas from other parts of the continent, this chapter outlines some of the determinants of fatherhood in southern Africa. It highlights the role of social and economic changes in shaping how men enact fatherhood, together with an emphasis on social fatherhood in African social and family systems. Social fatherhood refers to men looking after children not biologically their own, and/or children having several men playing a father’s role in their lives. The chapter highlights policy implications for children’s education and care. We conclude with the point that it is necessary to ascertain, through systematic research, the …