Durban — A father who started by sexually assaulting his daughter before escalating with raping her, was handed a life term and 15 years for his crimes. The father had also threatened to kill his daughter or burn the house if she reported him.
The Durban Regional Court sentenced the 48-year-old to life and 15 years imprisonment for the rape and sexual assault of his biological daughter between 2015 and 2020, in the Malukazi and Empangeni areas.
Recalling the crimes, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said the girl, who lived with her father and her stepmother, was 13 years old when her father sexually assaulted her on several occasions by inappropriately touching her body, kissing her and forcing her to touch him sexually. Then when her stepmother died, he began raping the girl and continued to do so on several occasions up until 2020.
Ramkisson-Kara said the father threatened to kill his daughter or burn down the house if she reported him. He would also sometimes keep a firearm nearby when he raped her, to make her fearful.
Eventually, the girl reported the rapes to her schoolteacher who contacted a social worker. The girl was taken to the Umlazi Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical and psycho-social assistance. Her father left the area and was traced by the police and arrested six months later.
During legal proceedings the State, represented by Prosecutor Tanuja Bechan, led the testimony of the girl and her teacher, who was the first report. The girl’s brother also testified that the girl would often spend the night in her father’s room with the door locked. Further evidence for the State was testimony from a TCC caseworker and doctor.
In aggravation of the sentence, Bechan handed in a Victim Impact Statement, compiled by the girl, and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Prudence Geraud.
In her statement, the girl said she used to be free-spirited but following the incidents, she became afraid and embarrassed of what happened to her. She also lost her self-confidence and said she is angry at her father.
“The man was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for sexual assault and life imprisonment for rape. In addition to the sentence, the court deemed him unfit to possess a firearm, and unfit to work with children. The court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
Meanwhile, in another rape conviction, the Durban Regional Court sentenced a 21-year-old man to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty (Section 112 Plea) to the rape of a 13-year-old girl in March 2023, in the Wentworth area.
Ramkisson-Kara said that on the day of the incident, the girl was going to her friend’s house when the accused called her to his flat. There he threatened her with a knife and raped her. The girl then went home and collapsed from the excessive bleeding she experienced following the rape. She was rushed to hospital, and upon regaining consciousness told her mother that she was raped by the accused. Since they knew each other, the girl named the accused, leading to his quick arrest.
In aggravation of sentence, Prosecutor Siphindile Precious Ntombela handed in Victim Impact Statements compiled by the girl and her mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Nondumiso Nyembe.
In their statements, both described the trauma they experienced following the incident.
“In addition to the life sentence, the accused was deemed unfit to possess a firearm, and unfit to work with children. Further, the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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