The Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court continues to hear one of South Africa’s rare historic familial sexual abuse cases.

The case, ongoing since 2021, involves a 43-year-old woman – the first of two siblings – testifying against her uncle, who is accused of sexually abusing them in the 1980s.

The man, now in his 50s, allegedly assaulted his niece from the age of four, while her brother, then eight, witnessed many of the incidents. The accused faces 15 counts, including rape and indecent assault.

Over several sessions this month, the woman has continued to testify under Section 153 of the Criminal Procedure Act, in a closed court, to protect the identities of family members and children connected to the case.

During one recent cross-examination, the court heard a powerful moment when she read aloud a WhatsApp message she had previously sent to her uncle – an emotional confrontation in which she directly addressed the abuse and the silence that followed.

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In the message, she described the devastating emotional and psychological toll the abuse had taken on her. She said he violated her as a woman, took her innocence, and caused years of trauma and anxiety.

“You made me live in fear for years, pretending it never happened. But I remember. I always have. And I refuse to carry your shame any longer.”

Alex Talbot from Women and Men Against Child Abuse said it is devastating that courts so often allow defence teams to weaponise survivors’ vulnerabilities and trauma responses.

“Her testimony is not only about her own story – it exposes how the system demands that survivors repeatedly prove their pain while their alleged abusers are allowed to hide behind legal manoeuvres,” Talbot added.

The case is set to continue on December 1.