Johannesburg – The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) on Wednesday welcomed the life imprisonment of a 45-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man who was convicted of raping and impregnating his 11-year-old daughter.
ANCWL secretary-general, Meokgo Matuba, said: "The ANCWL salutes the law enforcement agencies who tirelessly worked on the case whilst ensuring that the perpetrator faces the full wrath of the law."
The man was arrested last year shortly after his daughter complained of a stomachache. She was taken to a local clinic where nurses discovered she was pregnant.
The young girl then told nurses that her father had been raping her since she was eight-years-old.
"Crime against women and children must always be treated as priority crimes and the ruthless perpetrators who prey on women and children must be severely punished," Matuba said.
She urged South Africans to never allow the country to be turned into safe havens of rapists and serial killers.
"The ANCWL calls for all its supporters and members to intensify Molo Makhelwane programmes across the country and lead the fight against social ills within communities," Matuba said.
"Society must unite and work with law enforcement agencies to curb the scourge of women and child abuse."