Durban — Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that on Monday, the Estcourt Regional Court sentenced a KwaZulu-Natal man to three life terms after he was found guilty of raping his biological daughter.
Netshiunda said that the police investigation, spearheaded by Detective Sergeant Sandile Sanele Madlala, of the Estcourt Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, proved beyond reasonable doubt that the 49-year-old man repeatedly raped his daughter from 2005 until 2020, when he was arrested.
He said that the victim was only five years old at the time and was staying with her father in Estcourt after her parents separated. In 2007 the victim and her father moved to Imbali, Pietermaritzburg, but her father continued raping her, threatening to kill her if she told anyone.
“The victim fell pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy at the age of 15 as a result of the rape ordeal. The matter was reported to the police in 2020 and the father was arrested,” Netshiunda said.
Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has lauded Madlala for pulling out all stops in ensuring that justice was served and that the perpetrator was removed from society.
“People who abuse women and children, and those who violate their rights, have no place in society and, as the police, we shall execute our investigative mandate with tact and dedication. We are determined to create a safe and secure environment for our women and children as prescribed in Chapter 12 of the National Development Plan: Vision for 2030,” Mkhwanazi said.
“The sentence could not have come at a better time as the nation is observing 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. We shall continue to prioritise crimes against women and children and working together with the prosecution authority, more perpetrators will be put behind bars for lengthy periods.”
Daily News