FEZILE DABI – A 45-year-old father has been sentenced to life behind bars for the repeated rape of his own daughter.
The Parys Regional Court handed down a sentence following the long investigation into attacks that began in 2021. The victim was just 13 years old at the time.
According to Fezile Dabi police spokesperson Sergeant Josephine Rani, the victim, who was staying with her father in Vredefort, reported the multiple rapes to her mother in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal.
“A case of rape was registered in Inanda and later transferred to the Tumahole Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit, with Detective Sergeant Chris Fongoqa leading the investigation,” she said.
After the crimes were reported, the father went on the run. He managed to evade the police for two years before being tracked down and arrested in 2023.
Rani praised the work of Fongoqa, who led the investigation.
“The detective left no stone unturned. He tracked the accused down and ensured he remained in custody until justice was served,” she said.
On January 28, the judgment was delivered to the defendant, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
