SASOLBURG – The Sasolburg Regional Court sentenced a 49-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape he committed in Zamdela in May 2019.

The complainant, his daughter, was aged 14 at the time.

Magistrate Phakama Ngewu presided, and Regional Court Prosecutor Ntombi Marase successfully prosecuted the case.

The court ordered that the accused’s name be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders, but no order was made under Section 103(1) of Act 60 of 2000 regarding firearm possession.

In a statement, NPA Regional Spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the incident occurred on May 16, 2019, when the father returned home from work to a shack on his mother’s property in Zamdela, where he lived with his daughter.

That evening, after waking her from a nightmare, he instructed her to sleep in his bed. Later, he joined her, ordered her to remove her underwear, and raped her. In the early morning, he assaulted her again, attempting to silence her with promises of a repaired cellphone and a winter school uniform.

Instead of attending school, the brave teenager confided in her paternal grandmother, who took her to the hospital. The Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) recovered a cloth from the accused’s bed containing semen, with DNA analysis confirming it as his. During a family meeting later that day, hearing police sirens, the accused tried to flee but was apprehended by his brothers.

He pleaded not guilty, claiming ignorance of why his daughter would fabricate the allegations, but forensic evidence proved his guilt. The court rejected his defence, convicting him of raping his daughter while in his care. Magistrate Ngewu highlighted the crime’s severity, noting the victim’s vulnerability, the breach of trust, and the accused’s prior rape conviction.

Prosecutor Marase argued for the maximum penalty, citing the accused’s lack of remorse, his status as a repeat offender, and the danger he poses to society and his family. She urged a life sentence to protect vulnerable members. The court found no substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum, imposing life imprisonment.