Lindelani father denied bail for alleged rape, impregnation of daughter

A 39-year-old father from the Lindelani informal settlement was denied bail by the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court for allegedly raping and impregnating his daughter.

He appeared in court on August 12, facing a charge of rape for the alleged continued sexual assault of his daughter, who was 15 at the time of the incidents.

According to National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the alleged abuse began in March 2022, while the victim lived with both parents and her younger brother in Tsakane.

On the day of the first incident, the mother was at church, leaving the victim with her father and brother.

“It is alleged that the father called the victim into the house while she was playing outside and sent her brother to buy chips from the shops.

“When the victim came inside, she found the father in her room, and she went to ask why he had called her. The father allegedly locked the door behind her, undressed himself and the victim, raped her and left her in her room.

“Upon returning, the mother found the victim on her bed crying, and the child disclosed what had happened.

However, the mother did not believe her. After the first incident, it is alleged that a second incident happened, and again, the mother didn’t believe the victim.

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She stopped telling her mother about the rapes that continued to happen when the mother was not around.”

Mahanjana said that a while later, the victim fell ill and the mother took her to the Pholosong Hospital, where they confirmed she was pregnant.

“On an unspecified date, the mother told the child to drink a concoction in an attempt to abort her baby, which failed.

“The parents then moved the victim to Limpopo to live with her paternal grandmother, where she gave birth to a baby boy in December 2022.

“After turning 18, the victim opened a case in Limpopo on July 7, leading to the father’s arrest on July 19,” said Mahanjana.

During his previous court proceedings, the father asked to be released on R1 000 bail, citing his role as the primary caregiver for his three children, aged one, 12 and 18, and that his unemployed wife cannot support them.

Prosecutor Sindi Leonora Sejake put investigating officer Sergeant Tebogo Lephoto on the stand, who opposed the accused’s release on bail because the State has a strong case linking the victim’s three-year-old son through DNA to her father.

Furthermore, the investigating officer testified that the accused would likely interfere with witnesses since he went to Limpopo in an attempt to confront the child after he found out she had opened a case against him and was speaking about the matter on social media.

Magistrate Tebogo Lekgau denied bail, noting the severity of the charge and the likelihood of a life sentence if convicted.

She emphasised the State’s strong case, the accused’s potential to evade trial and the community outcry that prompted the family’s relocation.

Moreover, the magistrate said the vulnerable child was failed by her father when he repeatedly raped her, while her mother also failed to protect her by refusing to believe her in the name of protecting her marriage.

Therefore, it was found that the accused failed to convince the court that it was in the interest of justice to release him on bail.

The case was postponed to August 28 for a regional court decision.

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