Johannesburg - A 55-year-old man has been handed life imprisonment for the continued rape of his biological daughter for approximately six years.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Kwa-Zulu-Natal regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the offences began in 2009, when the girl was 8 years old. The man raped her on several occasions when his wife (her mother) was either out of the house or on the other side of the house.
"At some point, the girl sent him an SMS, saying that she could be pregnant. Her mother saw this message and was angered by their ‘relationship’. She left the house, and the man continued to rape the girl. The mother returned some time later and laid a charge against her husband, and he was arrested. The girl was taken to the Ngwelezane Thuthuzela Care Centre, where she received medical and psycho-social assistance," said Ramkisson-Kara.
She said that in court, regional prosecutor Sithembile Russell Mngoma led medical evidence as well as the testimonies of the girl, her mother, and a social worker.
"Mngoma also submitted a victim impact statement, compiled by the girl and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Amanda Pretty Nxumalo. In her statement, the girl said that she was filled with grief, fear, and hatred following her ordeal. She said that she had suffered both emotional and physical scars and felt ashamed of what had happened.
"The man was sentenced accordingly, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm," said Ramkisson-Kara.
The Star