10-Year-Old Girl Raped By Her Father While Visiting Him
While he raped his 10-year-old daughter, a Verulam man gave his son a cellphone and sent him to another room. The 32-year-old man then handed her a sanitary pad and escorted her to her mother’s house.
On Wednesday, the man from Cottonlands was sentenced to life in prison in the Verulam regional court. In a victim impact statement written by the girl and facilitated by court preparation officer Bongiwe Qwabe, the child expressed her embarrassment and stated that she could no longer play with other children in the area because they knew what had happened to her.
“She said she wanted the court and God to punish her father,” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.
The rape took place in November 2019. “The girl and her eight-year-old brother visited their father who lived with their granny. When they got there they found him alone in his room as their granny had gone out. After speaking to them for a while, the man gave the boy his cellphone and sent him to another room, while he closed the door and raped the girl. He gave her a sanitary pad to wear as she started bleeding,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
“He took the children home to their mother and the rape came to light when the mother questioned the girl about the sanitary pad. They reported the matter to the police and the girl was taken to the Thuthuzela Care Centre at the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Phoenix, where she received medico-legal and psycho-social assistance.”
The man eluded police for two months before being apprehended. “His defence in court was bare denial and regional court prosecutor Nondumiso Cele led the testimonies of the girl’s brother, her mother and medical evidence from the doctor.
“The man was sentenced accordingly. The NPA welcomes the successful conclusion of this matter and applauds the prosecution and stakeholders who contributed.”
