A mother from Dorandia in Pretoria will serve four life terms in prison plus an additional 30 years for the rape of her daughter (5) and various other sexual offences.

The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court had convicted the 39-year-old on four counts of rape, two of sexual assault and three counts of creation of pornography, according to the National Prosecuting Agency (NPA).

The magistrate ordered the mother’s name be added to the national register of sexual offenders, and she was declared unfit to work with children.

“Court reports state that the mother was in a relationship with a man who is a co-accused in the matter,” said NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.

From December 2021 to March 2022, the mother and her boyfriend raped the child.

“They sexually assaulted her and made her perform sexual acts on them.

“When the boyfriend was at his place, the mother would take photos of the child’s private parts, as well as videos of her performing sexual acts on the child and send them to her boyfriend.”

The mother was arrested on March 18, after she sent a disturbing video clip of the child on WhatsApp to her friend, who then reported the matter to the police.

In court, the mother pleaded guilty to all 10 charges against her and told the court that she committed all those offences because she craved the attention of her boyfriend.

“She wanted his approval since she was always at home and taking care of her 15-year-old child who lives with a disability,” Mahanjana said.

“She asked the court to deviate from the prescribed sentence and asked for a sentence of 20 years.”

However, prosecutor Hanlie du Preez asked the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because the mother was in a position of trust.

“She was supposed to love and protect the child; instead she took advantage of that trust.”

Du Preez told the court that in most cases rapists are not devils with horns, but people who live among us.

“The mother sacrificed her child for a relationship.”

The magistrate agreed with the state and said long-term direct imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence option that will reflect the seriousness of the offence.

“The NPA welcomes the sentence as fitting in this gruesome case involving a child,” said Mahanjana.

The boyfriend will appear in the regional court on February 2, 2023.