Fathers are expected to be the protectors in their families.
It is always a shame when the very protectors are the ones who hurt their children.
Society is now one less abusive father after the Verulam Regional Court sentenced a father for raping his biological daughter in January 2020.
The 38-year-old man, who cannot be named because it would indirectly identity his daughter, pleaded not guilty to the crime.
The girl, who lived with her siblings, father, and her stepmother, was 13 years old when her father raped her in Ndwedwe.
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The court heard that the incident took place at night while her stepmother was asleep; and her father told her that if she reported him, he would be sent away to jail.
“The girl eventually confided in her stepmother and then her mother. The incident was reported, and the man was arrested. The girl was taken to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Centre for medical and psycho-social assistance.”
Prosecutor Winnie Shangase led the testimony of the girl and her stepmother who was the first report.
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The evidence of the J88 form detailing the injuries sustained by the girl and the testimony of the medical doctor was also submitted to the court.
In aggravation of the sentence, Shangase handed in a Victim Impact Statement, compiled by the girl and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Bongiwe Qwabe.
In her statement, the girl said that she had loved her father so much and could not believe that he had raped her. She said that the incident has left her embarrassed and traumatised; and she has lost her self-confidence.
The father was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In addition to the life sentence, the court found the man unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name be entered into the National Register of Sex Offenders.
