The Secunda Regional Court sentenced a 52-year-old bus driver to life imprisonment on May 12 for raping his 12-year-old adoptive daughter.
The man was found guilty of sexually grooming the victim in 2020 and later raping her in 2021.
The victim, who is a primary school learner in eMbalenhle, first reported the abuse to the man’s wife, but the wife kept quiet until the victim fell ill at school and her friend alerted the teacher.
The teacher took the child out of the class and asked her what was wrong. The girl told her teacher that she was experiencing unbearably painful stomach aches.
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The girl said only her father was at home because he was working nightshift, but refused to give his contact number to the teacher.
The teacher took the child to the principal and explained that the sick learner refused to provide her father’s contact number so that the teacher could call him to fetch the learner.
When the principal prompted the girl for her father’s cellphone number, she also refused and kept on crying and she insisted to stay at school.
The girl then told the principal that she would rather wait until her younger sister could accompany her home because she was afraid to be alone with her father who was “always sleeping with her”.
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Her teacher took her to the eMbalenhle Police Station. The perpetrator was arrested at his work and remained in police custody until he was sentenced.
Sergeant Palesa Monagane from the Secunda Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) investigated the case.
Monagane warned families not to hide criminal activities that are happening within their midst, especially crimes against women and children.
She said family members should know that if they do so, they will be charged with defeating the ends of justice and will also be sentenced.
