Father who raped and chained son to pole sentenced to life

A 54-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his eight-year-old son in Peddie, Eastern Cape.

He was also given five years for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The Peddie Regional Court said the sentences will run concurrently and ordered that the offender’s details be added to the national register for sex offenders.

‘Betrayal of trust’

The National Prosecution Authority’s (NPA) spokesperson in the Eastern Cape, Luxolo Tyali, said the suspect’s identity was concealed to protect the victim.

The father, who lived with his son in Mgababa village, Peddie, committed the crimes on 31 May 2023.

The victim was coming back from school when his father sent him to fetch wood. Upon his return, the suspect allegedly chained the boy to a pole inside their home before raping him.

The 54-year-old then locked and left the house leaving the child chained to the pole.

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The boy managed to escape, running to a neighbour’s house with the chain still attached to his ankle.

“The neighbour alerted community members and police were called.

“The perpetrator was arrested the following day while hiding in his relative’s house in Motherwell, Gqeberha, more than 200 kilometres from the scene of the crime,” said Tyali.

Despite the father’s denials, he was found guilty.

During the trial, prosecutor Thobani Matyeni presented evidence from three witnesses.

Forming part of the witnesses was the victim, who testified via camera with the assistance of a court intermediary.

The examining doctor’s report confirmed the victim’s testimony, detailing the injuries sustained during the assault.

“Victim impact statement (VIS) from the minor and secondary VIS from the mother, facilitated by court preparation officers (CPOs), Asikelele Mtshabe and Busisiwe Matyalana, were presented for sentencing,” Tyali said.

The court heard through the VIS that the child vehemently stated his desire never to see his father again.

Magistrate Fritz agreed with the prosecutor’s submission that the father’s actions constituted an “egregious betrayal of trust”.

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‘Monsters’ should be removed from society

Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, welcomed the sentence, praising the investigator, prosecutor, court intermediary, and CPOs for ensuring justice for the vulnerable.

Tyali emphasised that the courts must protect society from individuals who commit such heinous crimes, particularly those who exploit and harm their own children.

“The child suffered the worst abuse at the hands of the person who was supposed to protect him, and our courts must ensure that people such as this monster of a father are removed from the communities.”

A recent report by Statistics SA has revealed disturbing trends in crimes against children.

In 2022/23 there were 41.6% child rape cases reported in South Africa, this was 17 800 individual cases.

45.9% of child rape cases were reported to the police in the Eastern Cape in the same period.

“Boys, while also victims of sexual violence and exploitation, often face underreporting due to stigma,” the report read.