51-year-old man convicted of raping both young stepdaughters

One of the victims, 18, said she had been raped by her stepfather since she was 11.

The man will will spend another month out on bail before he will know his fate. Photo: pixabay.com

A 51-year-old Randfontein man was convicted of rape and indecent assault on his two stepdaughters last week in the Johannesburg High Court, The Citizen reported.

The predator will spend another month out on bail before he will know his fate. The case was postponed by High Court Judge Cassim Moosa until 7 March for the pre-sentencing process. The man has to report to the Randfontein Police Station every Tuesday, and is not to leave Gauteng without the permission of the investigating officer.

The State called seven witnesses, one of whom was the older stepdaughter, who had allegedly been raped since she was 11 years old. Seven years later her tragic story eventually helped get her stepfather arrested and found guilty.

Now 18, she told the court that while her stepfather looked after them financially, she never took a liking to him. She said she recalled the first incident just after the birth of her half-brother, when her stepfather indecently assaulted her with his finger.

She said she didn’t report the incident because she didn’t know that it was wrong at the time. She then told the court that he began raping her on a regular basis when she was in Grade 8.

She told her school psychologist that she could not report the matter because he threatened her. Later she discovered he was sexually assaulting her sister as well. She also recalled how she tried to commit suicide just after he was arrested.

Judge Moosa said the 18-year-old girl’s evidence made it clear that she had never given her stepfather permission to touch her. She also told the court that she had a lot of memories she wanted to erase.

She was medically examined by a doctor who had confirmed evidence of penetration. The doctor said that her younger sister who was seven years old when her stepfather began to sexually assault her had also sustained vaginal trauma and the injuries showed clearly that she had been penetrated on various occasions.

The mother of the two girls said that she had witnessed her husband putting his hand in the older daughter’s underwear but could not confront him about it. She said when she finally confronted him, he denied it. She wrote a letter requesting him to stop assaulting her children but he denied the allegations.

Following his arrest, his family members said the children were lying. After that, he pleaded not guilty on all charges, but was ultimately found guilty.

The Herald contacted the Krugersdorp Police for comment on the matter as the man had been arrested there, but no comment had been given at the time of print. The name of the man cannot be released, for the sake of the two girls.

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