Father receives life sentence for a decade of horrific abuse against his daughter

A father who raped his daughter for a decade from the tender age of nine, and impregnated her, will serve life behind bars after being sentenced in the Pretoria Regional Court. 

The 64-year-old carried out the incestuous crime while she was in his care during weekends and school holidays, when the victim would visit him. 

The rapes continued unabated after the girl was told by her father that the abuse “was normal in households” and swore her to secrecy, not to tell her mother.

Ilitha Labantu’s Siyabulela Monakali said it is one of the most disturbing cases of gender-based violence that highlights the systemic failures that continue to expose children to abuse within their own homes. 

“The harrowing details of this case, as presented by the National Prosecuting Authority, reveal the calculated nature of the abuse, with the perpetrator deliberately grooming his daughter to believe that the sexual violence was normal and instructing her to keep silent. The fact that the abuse began when the victim was only nine years old and continued for a decade underscores the tragic reality for many survivors whose trauma is hidden behind closed doors and societal silence.”

Monakali said the case highlights the urgent need for comprehensive prevention and education strategies that empower children and communities to recognise and report abuse early before irreversible harm occurs.

“The psychological damage described in the victim impact statement, where the survivor reflects on lost youth, depression, and low self-esteem, is a stark reminder that justice must be accompanied by accessible and sustained psychosocial support for survivors.

“Education campaigns must dismantle the dangerous myths that normalise abuse, and health and social services must be sufficiently resourced to provide trauma-informed care and support.” 

During trial, the father denied the charges against him and pleaded not guilty. 

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said the man was declared unfit to work with children or possess a firearm. 

The court ordered his name to be 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, said Mahanjana.

“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. The mother of the victim and the father were not married; they only shared the child. Before the abuse started, the father told the victim 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 misses it, she should inform him. When she missed her periods and was pregnant, he gave her R1,500 to terminate the pregnancy,” said Mahanjana.

Despite this, the rapes persisted. 

“The abuse came to light in 2021 when the victim started dating and confided in her boyfriend that her father was the only person she had been intimate with, believing it 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, and the father was arrested on the same day,” said Mahanjana. 

During the trial, regional court prosecutor Anton Burger presented compelling evidence and proved the man’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 this, 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 daughter to terminate a pregnancy after realising that he was going to father his 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,” said Mahanjana.

In the victim impact statement, 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.

When handing down the sentence, the acting regional court magistrate Pierre Wessels said violence against women and children is a pandemic in this country, and it was the duty of the courts to combat such offences. 

chevon.booysen@inl.co.za