The Brandfort regional court has sentenced a 27-year-old father to life imprisonment after he was convicted of raping his daughter, who was seven-years-old at the time of the crime.
Free State National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane confirmed the matter. He said the rape occurred between May 25 2023 and June 9 2023, in the township of Majwemasweu near the town of Winnie Mandela. The town is about 60km from Bloemfontein, and during the incidents, the victim’s grandmother was admitted in hospital.
Senokoatsane said the court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment on count one. He got a one-year imprisonment on count two, which is to run concurrently with life imprisonment.
Child’s grandmother was in hospital
Senokoatsane said the accused’s name was also ordered to be listed on the national sexual offenders register. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of section 103 of the Firearm Control Act.
Senokoatsane said when the victim’s grandmother was in hospital. The child was in the care of her grandfather at his place. The child’s father requested that they allow his daughter to visit him at his parental home.
Later in the night, the child requested her father to prepare the bed for her, as she wanted to go and sleep. They shared a bed.
Senokoatsane said during the night, the child requested her father to take her to the toilet.
“Upon their return from the toilet, instead of sleeping, the father said to the victim that he wanted to show her what he used to do with her mother while she was still alive,” said Senokoatsane.
He said the father began to rape his daughter and when she tried to scream, he put his hand on her mouth. He only stopped when a family member entered his bedroom.
The accused took the child back to the home, where her grandmother had left her in their care.
Raped during visit to father’s home
The child could not tell anyone of her ordeal at the hands of her father as he had threatened her.
Upon her release from the hospital, the grandmother noticed that the victim was having difficulty walking.
“The grandmother enquired from the victim. But because she was afraid of what her father would do to her, it took some persuasion. Until the victim informed her grandmother of what her father had done to her. The grandmother reported the matter to the police, and the accused was arrested,” he said.
Senokoatsane said the father was charged with one count of rape. This was read with the provisions of section 51 (1) of the Criminal law amendment Act. The reason being that the alleged offence to a minor child. And one count of incest crime, as the accused is the biological father of the said minor child.
