Durban: A 36-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal was sentenced to two life sentences on Thursday by the Estcourt Regional Court after he was found guilty of raping his nine-year-old biological daughter on multiple occasions over four years.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Kara said the suspect and his daughter, who both cannot be named, were from the Lindelani area in Weenen, in the Uthukela District.
The NPA’s regional prosecutor, Nokulunga Ngcobo, led the child and her mother’s evidence in court.
The 36 year-old raped his daughter on numerous occasions from 2017 to 2019. After raping her again in 2020, his wife caught him naked in the room with his daughter.
She reported the rape to the police and the man was immediately arrested but denied the allegations against him.
In aggravation of sentence, Ngcobo gave the court a victim impact statement, in which she detailed the aftermath on the child caused by the sexual abuse at the hands of her father.
“In her statement, which was facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Sibusiso Ntombela, the child said that she wishes she could be reborn because she cannot turn her life around after her traumatic experience.
“She said that she was deeply hurt by her father’s action but did not tell anyone about it as he had threatened to kill her if she did.
“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes this sentence. We hope sentences of this nature will have the necessary deterrent effective on like-minded people,” Kara said.
IOL