POLOKWANE – A 41-year-old man had been sentenced to two life sentences for repeatedly raping his 14-year-old biological daughter over a period of 4 months.
The man had previously been imprisoned for the murder of the victim’s mother.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, says that the suspect had taken the victim from her grandmother’s house to his place of residence where he raped her repeatedly and threatened to kill her should she report the abuse.
The victim then moved to her aunt but the accused continued the abuse until December 2021. In January of the following year, it was discovered that the victim had become pregnant and suffered a miscarriage, leading her to report the incident.
The accused subsequently went on the run but was arrested by Detective Warrant Officer Samuel Thovhakale of Makhado Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.
The Thohoyandou High Court handed down the two life sentences on Thursday (September 26) also convicting him to three years for kidnapping and 10 months for assault common.
The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Samuel Manala, commended the officer for his work, “This sentence reflects the severity of gender-based violence and the importance of protecting vulnerable individuals, particularly children, from abuse and exploitation.”
