A woman in KwaZulu-Natal moved her eight-year-old daughter to live with her 29-year-old father in order to protect her from sexual predators, only for him to rape her.
The man, who cannot be identified to protect the child’s identity, was sentenced to life in prison by the Ulundi Regional Court in November 2021 for raping his daughter.
At the time, the girl lived in Ulundi’s Nkonjeni neighbourhood with her father and his family.
Her mother sent her to her father’s house to protect her because there were many men on her homestead.
According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, the mother chose the move to protect her daughter, but the father raped the child whenever his family members were not present.
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“When the child visited her mother a month later, she reported that she didn’t want to live with her father because he was raping her,” she explained.
According to Ramkisson-Kara, the rape was confirmed when the child was taken to a doctor, and her father was immediately arrested.
During the trial, Ramkisson-Kara stated that prosecutor Mzwandile Mtshali led the evidence of the child, her mother, and a medical doctor. The girl prepared a victim impact statement, which was aided by court preparation officer Mandisa Sikhakhane.
The father was sentenced to life in prison, and the court ordered that his name be added to the National Register of Sexual Offenders.
The Department of Corrections was also directed to contact the man’s family before considering him for parole.
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