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- An Eastern Cape father who asked the high court to reduce his 22-year prison sentence for raping his teenage daughter, ended up with a heftier sentence.
- The 77-year-old man was initially sentenced to 22-years in prison by the Zwelitsha Regional Court in May 2014.
- He appealed the sentence, but the high court overturned the judgment, sending him away for life.
A 77-year-old Eastern Cape man who approached the Eastern Cape High Court in Bhisho, hoping to have his 22-year imprisonment for raping his teenage daughter reduced, was instead handed a heftier life sentence.
The man was initially sentenced to 22-years in prison by the Zwelitsha Regional Court on 9 May 2014 for the rape.
He appealed the sentence but instead of getting his sentence reduced, the Bhisho High Court on Tuesday sentenced him to life behind bars.
State prosecutor, Advocate Nocwaka Blorweni-Tokota, successfully argued that the 22-year sentence was an injustice and that the minimum sentence of life imprisonment should be imposed.
The NPA said the father initially denied the rapes, however, he was linked to the crime through DNA. After [seeing] the DNA results, he then admitted that he had sexual intercourse with his daughter in September 2012 and that she gave him consent.
The state said the claim of consent was refuted in the regional court which effectively sentenced the man to 22-years behind bars for raping his then 15-year-old daughter.
The NPA said the rapes occurred at the pair’s family home in the Mgxotyeni location outside Qonce.
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The NPA said on both occasions, the daughter was threatened physically when the rapes took place.
NPA spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani said the father would threaten that he would stab his daughter with a sword and that he would kill her if she ever told her mother.
“After the 2012 rape the father instructed her to wipe herself with a handkerchief which he kept under lock and key,” said Ngcakani.
The teenage girl broke her silence four days after the rape in September 2012.
The man was 66-years-old at the time of the rapes.
SAPS had visited her school to educate learners about the importance of reporting domestic violence and rapes to law enforcement, said Ngcakani.
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Sitting in front, she raised her hand, cried and told the police what had happened to her, added Ngcakani.
“After reporting the matter, the young girl went home and asked her father for the handkerchief under the pretense that she needed to wash it. He told her to go and fetch it in the room where he kept it as he grabbed and kissed her with his tongue. She then handed the handkerchief over to the police,” said Ngcakani.
The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Livingstone Sakata, said the hard work and commitment of both the investigation and prosecution teams are highly appreciated and commended.
