2 life terms for Pretoria father who raped 11-month-old daughter

A man convicted of the rape and attempted murder of his 11-month-old daughter was sentenced to two life terms in the Pretoria High Court.

The father (32), from Olievenhoutbosch, was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for defeating the ends of justice.

The court ordered that his name be recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on April 30 last year a neighbour went to the parents’ house to ask the mother to help her cook, as she was hosting an overnight ceremony.

The mother left the baby with the father.

The following day, in the early hours of the morning, while the mother was still assisting the neighbour, she saw her partner in the street.

When she asked where the baby was, he told her he had left her sleeping.

According to NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, when the mother arrived home, the baby was in bed on her stomach.

Mahanjana said the mother realised that the baby had been violated when she changed her nappy later.

“When the mother touched the child to change her diaper she began to cry. She noticed that the baby’s private parts were swollen and there was semen on the diaper.”

Mahanjana said the mother reported her suspicion to the father and suggested they take her to the clinic.

“However, the father suggested they take the baby to a traditional healer, who is a neighbour. During the consultation with the traditional healer, the father confessed to raping the child.”

She added that the traditional healer advised them to seek medical assistance, as he could not help them further.

When they returned home, the man threatened the mother with a knife and ordered her not to take the child to the clinic, as this would attract attention from the community.

Mahanjana said that the following day, the mother went to Limpopo pretending to visit her other child but instead took the baby to a clinic in Venda. She was told to return to Pretoria to report the case.

“After arriving back in Pretoria on May 4, she reported the case to the police and, later that day, the father was arrested at his residence. He has been in custody since.”

Court proceedings

In court, after he was found guilty of the charges, the accused asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence as he is a first-time offender.

However, state prosecutor Advocate Vongani Khosa told the court that the man was in a position of trust as he is the father of the victim, but he betrayed that trust.

He added that the father showed no remorse after committing the offence because he refused that the child be taken to hospital and denied committing the offence even after being found guilty.

Khoza asked the court to take into account the seriousness of the offence when imposing the sentence and asked the court to impose life imprisonment.

“Handing down the sentence, Judge Papi Masopa said South Africa is facing a crisis in respect of rape, particularly of young children, and this crime has brought about a sense of shock and disbelief in the community,” said Mahanjana.

The judge found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.

Gauteng director of public prosecutions Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi applauded the work of the investigating officer, Sergeant John Nkosana of Pretoria Central Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, and the prosecutor that led to the conviction of the father.