A member of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Galeshewe Regional Court in Northern Cape after he was convicted of raping his nine-year-old daughter.
The identity of the rapist father is withheld to protect the minor victim.
“The officer was charged with rape, further read with the provisions of section 51(1) of part 1 in Schedule 2 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997,” according to Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Northern Cape spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
On the night of the incident, July 4, 2023, the police officer, the little girl and her stepmother slept on the same bed at their residence.
“During the night while they were all asleep, the victim felt someone pulling down her underwear and when she tried to pull them up, the person kept on pulling them down, and when she looked at who was pulling her underwear, she noticed that it was her father. Due to his strength, the accused finally managed to undress his daughter and began to rape her,” said Senokoatsane.
The little girl tried to reach out to her sleeping stepmother, but the policeman grabbed her hand, preventing her from reaching out to the woman.
“The victim later told the court through her testimony that she was afraid to scream, hence she never screamed for help. In the morning, when her grandmother came to fetch her from the accused’s home, the victim informed her grandmother about what her father had done to her,” said Senokoatsane.
The child was taken for medical examination at the Galeshewe Thuthuzela Care Centre and a forensic nurse established that the victim had indeed been raped.
The assistance of a medical doctor was sought, and a second examination was undertaken for a second opinion.
The doctor’s conclusion was also consistent with penetration on the minor child.
“The accused, a police officer attached to one of the specialised units within the police service, was arrested and charged with the rape of his daughter. During the trial, regional court prosecutor, advocate Shareen Theresa Links argued that the accused betrayed his own daughter, in that instead of being her protector, he became her abuser,” said Senokoatsane.
The victim, testifying via intermediary services and through a victim impact statement compiled with the assistance of court prep officer Thandi Kraai, detailed and comprehensively described what happened to her on the day, and what her father did to her.
In the end, the court found the disgraced police officer and father guilty of raping his daughter and the court sentenced him to life imprisonment.
“The accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court also made an order for the accused’s name to be entered into the National Register of Sexual Offenders. He was also declared unfit to work with children,” said Senokoatsane.
The NPA in the Northern Cape has welcomed the lengthy sentence, hoping that such sentences provide some justice and closure to victims, as well as their families.
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