- A 34-year-old Mpumalanga man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his five-year-old daughter.
- The court considered the time he spent in prison awaiting trial and deviated from the minimum prescribed sentence of life in prison.
- The girl’s mother had noticed her drawing pictures of male genitals.
The Nelspruit Regional Court on Friday sentenced a Mpumalanga man to 20 years in prison for raping his then five-year-old daughter.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the man from KaNyamazane, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter, was found guilty of raping her between 2011 and 2012.
The accused, 34, and his wife separated in 2014.
“The victim’s mother noticed the child drawing pictures of a male private part hanging around a neck,” NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said in a statement.
“When she questioned the child, she revealed that she was repeatedly raped by her father. The matter was reported to the police and the accused was arrested.”
Nyuswa said that during the trial the court relied on the evidence of six witnesses, including the evidence of the victim who testified with the assistance of an intermediary.
A medical report also confirmed that the victim was raped.
“In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Thulani Msibi told the court that the victim was raped by her own father who was supposed to care, protect and provide for her. The victim trusted him as the father like any child who would have trusted the father.”
On Friday, the accused was sentenced. In order to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence, the court must find that substantial and compelling circumstances exist to allow for a deviation.
Nyuswa said that in sentencing the accused, the Nelspruit Regional Court considered the time the accused spent in prison.
“He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for rape and another 5 years for sexual assault of a minor,” Nyuswa said.
“The court further ordered his name to be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders and was found unsuitable to work with children.”
The NPA welcomed the conviction and sentence.
