By REGINALD KANYANE
17 November 2024- A stepfather (50), was sentenced to three life terms for three counts of rape by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for raping stepdaughter (11). This comes after the man raped his stepdaughter multiple times.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said the mother of the victim and the man were in a romantic relationship from 2013 until 2020. Mahanjana said they were staying together at the man’s place of residence in Olievenhoutbosch, where two of the incidents happened.
“On 12 October 2018, when the mother of the victim had gone to the hospital to give birth to a child she shares with a man. The minor was left at the home they shared. When the father returned from the hospital, he found the minor child in bed.
“He then forcefully removed her clothes, prevented her from screaming and proceeded to rape her. The second incident happened in July 2020, when the mother of the victim had gone to a rural village to visit her mother,” she said.
Mahanana further said the victim was left in the care of the stepfather, when he returned home drunk that night, he ate his food and proceeded to the room, where the minor was sleeping and raped her. She added that he then told her not to report her mother, and she would be homeless and starve.
“The third incident happened in 2020 after the mother of the victim had broken up with the man. On the day of the incident, the victim and her younger sibling, were left in the care of the man, while the mother had gone to Lens to visit her grandmother.
“The man came while the victim was in bed when he raped her. When the mother fetched the children later that day she did not report,” said Mahanjana.
She said a while later, on 29 September 2020, when the victim was bathing, the mother noticed flesh coming out of her private part, she enquired what had happened. Mahanjana said after pressing her further, the victim eventually told her mother what had happened.
“The mother went to the police, where she opened a case of rape against the man. The man was arrested later that day. In court, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied raping the child.
“However, the state prosecutor, advocate Emile Van Der Merwe, called witnesses, including the child, who testified using the intermediary services. The witnesses adduced evidence which proved that indeed the man raped the child,” she said.
Mahanjana said during the aggravation of sentence advocate Van der Merwe told the court that the man committed a gruesome crime. He was in possession of trust, but manhandled and violated the child.
“He, therefore, asked the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment for each charge. When handing down the sentence, Regional Court Magistrates, Ntlati agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse for his action.
“He raped a child who called him Papa and continues to deny the offences. Therefore, she found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence,” she said.
Mahanjana said the court ordered the sentences should run concurrently. She said he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“The court ordered that his name be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders. The NPA welcomes this sentencing, affirming its commitment to combating gender-based violence and ensuring that perpetrators face appropriate consequences for their actions.
“This case serves as a crucial reminder of the NPA’s dedication to advocating for the rights and safety of victims within our communities,” said Mahanjana.
The Guardian 