Eastern Cape man sentenced to two life terms for raping daughter and niece

A 41-year-old man has been sentenced for raping his daughter and niece.

The Mthatha Regional Court in the Eastern Cape sentenced the man to two life terms and additional 20 years in jail after convicting him on two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

The court ordered the 20-year term to run concurrently with the two life terms. The name of the convicted rapist has been withheld to protect the identities of his daughter and niece.

Trial

During trial, the man claimed that he was being framed by his daughter because he had caught her with a boy.

Magistrate Shylock Ndengezi found the man to be a “pathetic witness, who denied knowing everything but his name”. 

The court agreed with prosecutor Fumanekile Kandile that the only deserving sentence for the heinous crimes was life imprisonment.

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Rape spree

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the man committed the crimes “during diverse times“ for several years.

“During year 2013 and 2014, the man stayed in a rented one-room flat in Mandela Park near Mthatha with his partner and daughter, who was nine years then. The family’s sleeping arrangement was that the father and mother slept on the bed, while the girl slept on the floor. 

“When the mother would leave for work in the morning, the unemployed father would invite the girl to his bed and rape her before threatening to kill her and her mother if she told anyone about the rapes,” Tyali said.

Tyali said the man that pounced on his niece.

“In 2020, his then 13-year-old niece came to visit.  On one night, when the man’s partner had been drinking and had passed out, he went to join the children on the floor and forced them to touch each other’s breasts and touch his private parts. 

“A few days later, he raped the two girls, forcing them to watch while he raped the other.  He threatened the niece that he would wipe out their entire family if she told anyone about the rape,” Tyali said.

Arrest

Tyali added the man was arrested when his daughter matriculated and went to university in 2023.

Eastern Cape director of public prosecutions Barry Madolo commended the prosecutor and the investigating officer for ensuring that justice is served for the young women who fell prey to someone who was supposed to protect them.

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