Pretoria – The Naphuno Magistrate’s Court, under Maake policing area in Limpopo, has sentenced a 35-year-old man to an effective 18 years in jail for raping his 10-year-old biological daughter at Makgaung village, at Ga-Sekororo.
The name of the rapist father has been withheld to protect the minor victim.
“According to the police report, on 2 December, 2019 at about 5am, the mother of the victim left her in company of her father at home, to go wash the clothes at a nearby house. When she returned to fetch the other clothes at home, the mother found both her daughter and father naked inside a one-roomed house,” Limpopo provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said.
“The mother enquired what was going on but the father denied having sexual intercourse with the child. She immediately rushed her 10-year-old daughter to Sekororo Hospital for medical examination and it was later discovered that the child was raped by her father.”
The following day, a rape case was opened at Maake police station, on December 3, 2019. The father was “immediately arrested” on the said day.
“The case was transferred to Tzaneen Family Violence and Child Protection Unit (FCS) for further investigations and the accused was later granted bail after numerous court appearances,” Ledwaba said.
“On 22 November, 2022, the accused was convicted for rape of a minor girl and handed an 18 years imprisonment (term) imposed by the Naphuno magistrate on Wednesday 30 November, 2022.”
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has commended the officers involved in the case for “meticulous investigations” that ensured the lengthy sentence.
In another case, the Naphuno Regional Court has sentenced a 45-year-old man, who also cannot be identified to protect the victim, to two life terms in jail after he was found guilty of repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter.
“The court heard that the victim’s mother received information that her child was raped twice by her husband. The first incident happened on 10 March, 2017 after the victim was called by her stepfather to his room while preparing to attend school,” Ledwaba said.
“The accused unexpectedly raped the minor child and gave her money to keep her silence.”
Ledwaba said another rape incident occurred at Mhangweni village in the Maake policing area on 21 March, 2017, when the minor was called to her stepfather’s room. The man then raped her again.
“Afterwards, the victim informed her neighbours who alerted her mother about the incident and it was then reported at the local police station.
“On 9 October, 2017, the accused was arrested after a meticulous investigation in which the investigation officer ensured that the accused is kept in police custody until his sentencing (on Tuesday),” Ledwaba said.
IOL