The man started raping his biological daughter in June 2022.
A 45-year-old KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) man has been sentenced to life in jail for raping his young teenage daughter.
The man who was not named by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) appeared in the Newcastle Regional Court on Wednesday.
Court proceedings
According to the NPA, the man started raping his biological daughter in June 2022.
NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the teen was staying with stepmother, father and siblings at the time of the rape.
She said that during court proceedings, Prosecutor Thulisile Shabalala led the evidence of the stepmother, who was the first witness.
“In her evidence, she said that the incident had adversely affected the complainant, who had to relocate from the area. The complainant and the doctor who examined her also testified.
“The accused was sentenced accordingly, and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court made an order that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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Rape
Ramkisson-Kara said during the teen’s ordeal, her father would go to her room at night and rape her, threatening to assault her if she told anyone about it.
“The complainant was afraid to report the matter to her stepmothe,r thinking that she would not believe her. The matter came to light on one occasion, when the stepmother woke up and realised that her husband was not in the bedroom.
“She searched for him and found him raping the complainant. The accused ran out of the room, while the stepmother spoke to the complainant, who told her that she had been rape by her father for some time.” Ramkisson-Kara said.
Sexual violence
Ramkisson-Kara said the matter was reported to the police, and the teen was taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC).
“The accused fled the area after the matter was reported to the police and was later arrested in Durban, having been traced through the tracking device on his car.
The NPA said its fight against the scourge of sexual violence has been aided by the expansion of the TCC footprint across the country, which has grown from 55 centres in 2020/2021 to 66 at present.
The TCCs provide comprehensive services and support to victims of sexual violence.
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