West police arrest 59-year-old man for raping his daughter
"The elder sister said the father used to do this to them saying he was preparing them so that when they have boyfriends, they are perfect."
Pretoria West police arrested a 59-year-old man from Philip Nel Park on Saturday for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter, which reportedly began when she was only 12 years old.
“On June 6, the mother of the child said she arrived home to found her daughter crying,” said police spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma.
“When she asked her what was wrong, the daughter did not respond.
“The mother then asked her older daughter to ask her little sister why was she crying. She then told her older sister that she had been raped by her biological father. She told them that the rape incidents have been happening since 2013.”
Vuma said it was later revealed that the elder sister was also a victim.
The elder sister said she thought what was happening to them was “normal” because her father convinced them this was the case.
“She believed this until March of this year when she told her friends about what was happening and the friends told her that it was not normal that her father had been raping her.”
Vuma said the mother did not know what was happening to her daughters because she worked nightshifts, but she opened a case with the police when she found out.
Vuma advised people to report such abuse from their family members or partners to the police.
“Most people find it difficult to report the people they rely on financially, but I would like to encourage them to come forth about such issues. There are other means or channels to assist you to get help.
“Some victims think ‘how will they pay for school fees or who is going to support their children’ if they say something. The state has other NGOs which partner with the police to assist victims.
“I also want to say to men that there are social workers at the station who can assist if you are also experiencing abuse if you feel the police will mock or laugh at you. They will assist you in whatever you are going through.”
She also urged people who know about people being abused to report such incidents.
“Take a stand if you see that the person is afraid of reporting it, because at the end of the day you are only trying to help.”
The man is expected to appear at the Pretoria magistrate’s court.
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