Mamelodi Horror: Father raped daughter for a decade, forced her to terminate pregnancy
The abuse began when the daughter was nine years old in 2010, and continued until she was 19 in 2020.
Image: File
The Pretoria Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 64-year-old father from Mamelodi to life imprisonment for the repeated rape of his daughter, which lasted for almost a decade since 2010.
The court declared the 64-year-old unfit to work with children or possess a firearm, ordered his name added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders, and directed that his two granddaughters be referred to the children’s court for investigation and inquiry.
“The abuse began when the victim was nine years old in 2010, and continued until she was 19 in 2020, occurring during weekends and school holidays when the victim would visit her father,” said Lumka Mahanjana, Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“The mother of the victim and the father were not married; they only shared the child.”
Before the abuse started, the father told his daughter that the abuse was normal in households, and warned her not to tell her mother because she had a heart condition.
“In 2018, when the victim was 16 years old, while being raped by her father, the condom broke. When the father realised that the condom was broken, he told her to track her menstrual cycle and if she missed it, she should inform him. When she missed her period and was pregnant, he gave her R1,500 to terminate the pregnancy,” said Mahanjana.
The rape incidents persisted even after this incident.
The abuse came to light in 2021 when the victim started dating, and she confided in her boyfriend that her father was the only person she had been intimate with. According to the NPA, she believed the rape was normal.
“The boyfriend informed the mother, who confronted the victim. After realising what had been happening was wrong, the victim opened the case at the Mamelodi East police station on 16 January 2021. The father was arrested on the same day,” said Mahanjana.
In court, the father pleaded not guilty, denying the charges.
However, regional court prosecutor Anton Burger presented compelling evidence, proving the father’s guilt.
During sentencing, the father requested leniency, citing his role as a breadwinner for his wife, three other children, and two granddaughters.
Burger opposed the father’s pleas, arguing the lack of remorse, the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV), and the father’s betrayal of his duty to protect his daughter.
Furthermore, Burger said the father instructed his own daughter to terminate a pregnancy after realising that he was going to father her daughter’s child.
“What was more shocking was that the father planned the sexual abuse because he prepared the victim for it, before it even started, and made her believe it was a normal thing,” Burger told the court.
In the Victim Impact Statement (VIS), facilitated by the court preparation officer, Kgomotso Lodi, the victim said she cannot recall life without rape, she lost her teenage years, and she now suffers from depression and low self-esteem.
In handing down the sentence, the acting regional court magistrate Pierre Wessels said violence against women and children is a pandemic in South Africa, and it was the duty of the courts to combat such offences.
Furthermore, the magistrate agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse for the offences.
The court subsequently found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the sentence of life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the NPA has welcomed the heavy sentence, reaffirming its dedication to eradicating gender-based violence, a pervasive crisis in South Africa, by supporting survivors and ensuring perpetrators face severe consequences.
“This case exemplifies our victim-centred approach and our resolve to foster safe environments where children’s rights to dignity and safety are upheld,” said Mahanjana.
Last year, IOL reported that police at Dennilton, in Limpopo, arrested a 39-year-old man for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter repeatedly at Moteti village in the Sekhukhune District.
Image: File
“Together with our justice partners, we call on communities to stand united against gender-based violence, reporting abuse to break the silence and protect the future.”
In another case, last year, IOL reported that police at Dennilton, in Limpopo, arrested a 39-year-old man for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter repeatedly at Moteti village in the Sekhukhune District.
It is alleged that the father initially raped the girl in March 2021, when she was aged 12, and the little girl fell pregnant.
Police said the first pregnancy was ultimately terminated, but the girl’s mother was not aware of it. The girl did not reveal to her mother that she was pregnant.
The second pregnancy was also terminated, according to Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba.
“It is alleged that the suspect continued to rape her daughter repeatedly up until the daughter fell pregnant again in October 2023,” said Mashaba.
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