Man who raped stepdaughter, 7, as her sister, 4, kept watch gets life in jail

A Mpumalanga man was sentenced to life in prison for raping his 7-year-old stepdaughter while her 4-year-old sister kept watch at the door under his instruction.

The rape took place at Kgwaditiba Trust in Green Valley near Bushbuckridge on 22 February 2018.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, the court heard the man arrived home on the day to find the victim asleep. “He then ordered his other 4-year-old stepdaughter to stand at the door and guard for his wife.”

Hlathi said neighbours noticed the girl limping as she was walking back home from school the following day. The worried neighbours asked the girl what had happened and she told them. The neighbours then informed the mother, who dismissed the allegation as false.

“The neighbours took it upon themselves to report the matter to the police and the [man] was arrested on 23 February 2018. He was granted R1 000 bail while the two girls were relocated to a place of safety.

When passing sentence on Tuesday in the Mhala Regional Court, Magistrate Annemarie Theron said the man showed no remorse and denied what he had done to the child. She also read parts of the social worker’s report, which revealed the victim now suffers from urinary incontinence as a result of the rape.

Theron also declared the man unfit to possess a firearm and ruled that his name will be entered in the National Register for Sex Offenders.

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