A 45-year-old man from Upington has been sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment for raping his 14-year-old daughter.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in the Northern Cape, said the incident occurred in 2016 when the daughter went to stay with her father, as her parents were separated at the time.
The court heard that one evening in April 2016, the accused went to his daughter’s bedroom and lay down next to her on the bed.
“Through the testimony of the victim, the court heard how the accused used his private parts, rubbing them against the thighs of the victim, before raping her.”
Senokoatsane said the second incident occurred in November 2016, when the daughter fell asleep in her bedroom and awoke to find herself on a bed on the veranda.
“It had appeared that the accused had picked her up from her bed in the bedroom and taken her outside, where he had raped her,” Senokoatsane said.
“Again, in November of 2016, the accused went to her bedroom and while she was sleeping raped her for the third time.”
Senokoatsane added that the father not only raped his daughter but also physically assaulted her, slapping her when she refused to perform sexual acts on his private parts.
The daughter was too afraid to report the abuse as her father had intimidated her, telling her that if she revealed what he had done, he would go to jail and she would be taken away from her family.
“Out of fear, she never disclosed the incidents to anyone. Instead, she kept a journal in the form of unsent letters, which she hid like the terrible secret she was carrying.
“These letters later proved crucial during the prosecution, as they substantiated and corroborated her testimony.”
Senokoatsane said this underscored the importance of record-keeping in abuse cases, particularly when victims were unable to report the crime immediately.
After repeatedly pleading with her mother, the victim eventually went to live with her.
One evening, the father arrived at the daughter’s mother’s home and demanded that she return to his home.
“When the complainant refused, her mother contacted the police, as the accused was insistent that she leave with him.
“The following day, the police investigated why she was unwilling to stay with her father. It was only then that she finally disclosed that he had raped her.”
Prosecutor Friedle du Plessis highlighted the repulsive conduct of the father who, even after the incidents, shamelessly demanded his daughter return to his home.
“This underscores the revolting and predatory nature of his actions. His conduct destroyed the spirit of a young, vibrant child.”
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