Father sentenced for perjury and assault of pregnant daughter

A 40-year-old father, Mzingelwa Moyo of Extension 7, was sentenced by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court to three months imprisonment or a R1 000 fine, wholly suspended for five years, for perjury and assault causing grievous bodily harm to his 15-year-old pregnant daughter.

Moyo had assaulted his daughter because of the pregnancy which, he claimed, resulted from statutory rape by a man found to be her boyfriend. The perjury charge resulted from him making a false rape report to the police which the daughter and mother disputed, saying the two were lovers and the pregnancy was from consensual sex.

The court heard that Moyo lived with the daughter while the mother lived with other children on 15th Avenue. He beat her with a hosepipe inflicting bruises on her body and forcibly took her to the police station where he reported that the lover had raped her on several occasions in November and December last year. In one instance, he alleged the lover gave the daughter R100 after the rape.

The mother and daughter’s testimonies said both families had met and agreed to deal with the matter in an African way. They acknowledged the pregnancy was from a consensual relationship and the man’s family agreed to support the daughter and baby and that the matter shouldn’t be reported.

Despite the agreement, Moyo proceeded to beat the girl and also threatened to chase her from the home if she didn’t report the case.

A legal expert said statutory rape at an age when the victim appeared to be physically grown and mature was difficult to prove as people in a relationship often didn’t scrutinise each other’s identity documents to confirm each other’s ages.