Mapaballo Borotho
*Please note, this story contains descriptions of sexual violence and abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
- A 64-year-old man has been granted a hefty sentence for continuously raping his underage daughter in Mamelodi, Pretoria.
- The NPA says this sentence reaffirms its dedication to eradicating GBV, a pervasive crisis in South Africa.
- The victim told the court that she does not remember any of her childhood memories without the sexual abuse.
A 64-year-old man from the City of Tshwane has been sentenced to life imprisonment for continuously raping his daughter.
The abuse reportedly began in 2010, when his daughter was only 10 years old. He continued to abuse the victim until 2020 when she turned 19.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana, says the perpetrator reportedly told the victim that the abuse is absolutely normal, it happens in different households, and warned her not to tell her mother.
“In 2018, when the victim was 16 years old, while being raped by her father, the condom broke. When the father realised that the condom was broken, he told her to track her menstrual cycle and if she missed it, she should inform him.
“When she missed her period and was pregnant, he gave her R1500 to terminate the pregnancy. The rape persisted despite this.
“The abuse came to light in 2021 when the victim started dating and confided in her boyfriend that her father was the only person she had been intimate with, believing it was normal,” Mahanjana said.
During the court proceedings, he pleaded not guilty and denied all the charges levelled against him.
He further requested leniency during his sentencing, citing that he’s the sole breadwinner of his three children, two granddaughters and his wife.
Regional Court Prosecutor Anton Burger opposed this, arguing the lack of remorse, the prevalence of Gender Based Violence in South Africa, and the father’s failure to protect his own daughter.
He said it is shocking that the father planned the sexual abuse because he prepared the victim for it before it even started, and made her believe it was a normal thing.
The victim told the court that she cannot recall life or any childhood memories without the rape.
When handing down the sentence, the Acting Regional Court Magistrate Pierre Wessels said violence against women and children is a pandemic in South Africa, and it was the duty of the courts to combat such offences.
The Magistrate agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse for the offences as such, he found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the sentence of life imprisonment.
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