A 43-year-old man from Matatiele, Eastern Cape, has been given two life imprisonment terms for two counts of rape.
The rape victims are the man’s own daughter and niece who were attacked in their Mafube village home.
The man, who by law cannot be named to protect the identity of his minor victims, was convicted and sentenced in the Maluti regional court on Monday.
According to the state, the man committed the crimes on numerous occasions between the years 2019 and 2021. His daughter was nine years old when he first raped her and niece his 10-year-old. Both victims were violated at the home they shared with the convict.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Eastern Cape Luxolo Tyali said the man first raped his daughter in 2019. And when his daughter left their home in December that year, he proceeded to rape his 10-year-old niece in 2021.
In court, it was revealed the man would threaten the victims with death if they reported the rapes to anyone. His daughter reported the matter after leaving the home.
“He was arrested after his child reported the rape when she felt safe after moving out from their home. The niece also reported the ordeal after his arrest,” said Tyali.
After they reported the matter, the victims received psychosocial and medical attention at the Matatiele Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC).
Accused pleaded not guilty
The man pleaded not guilty but the state presented a solid case through which the evidence of the victims was heard through an intermediary.
Cross-examining the man, prosecutor Tshepo Sekhosana, said the man failed to explain why minor children, who are his blood relatives, would lie about him.
Sekhosana requested the magistrate not to deviate from the minimum sentence as there are no compelling circumstances.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutor Barry Madolo commended the officers who ensured that justice is served for the young vulnerable children.
