A 59-year-old man who impregnated his 16-year-old niece by allegedly raping her will appear in the Ficksburg magistrate’s court in Free State on Wednesday.
The suspect, who is also the foster father of the victim, faces a charge of rape.
Police spokesperson Mmako Mophiring said the teenager had allegedly been experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of her uncle for the past five years.
Mophiring said the rapes allegedly took place between December 2018 and March 2023.
The teen fell pregnant in 2022 and was allegedly instructed by her uncle to put the blame on her boyfriend.
“She feared for her life and the life of her baby boy,” said Mophiring, explaining the victim’s hesitance to report the crime to the police.
Mophiring added that the teen, who is an orphan, had also been threatened by the uncle that she would be disowned if she shared her experience with anyone.
However, the victim found the strength to confide in her teachers, who reported the matter to the police. The suspect was nabbed at the weekend.
In a separate incident a week ago, Simao Hlongwane, a 43-year-old pastor, was sentenced to life in jail by the Ga-Rankuwa regional court.
This after the court found Hlongwane guilty of raping his sister’s 12-year-old child.
The child’s mother failed to report the rape to the police after she was informed by her eldest daughter. The court heard that the accused was the sole breadwinner in the family.
State prosecutor, advocate Mummy Mosonodi, convinced the court that the accused failed to demonstrate moral and religious values when he committed the crime.
She further told the court that what the accused subjected the victim to was against his Christian beliefs.
Mosonodi urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
Magistrate Aggrey Sephothi agreed with the state and handed down a life sentence.
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