Stepfather of a Pretoria rapist gets life sentence

The man raped the child while the mother was in Mamelodi.

There are relationships that are probably beyond saving if one of the people involved has hurt the other.

This was the case after a man from Pretoria raped his six-year-old stepdaughter.

The man, whose name cannot be mentioned as this would be an indirect identification of the girl, had a romantic relationship with the child’s mother.

Evidence presented to the High Court in Pretoria revealed that the couple lived together at the woman’s house in Olievenhoutbosch.

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“On 6 August 2022, the mother left the victim in the care of the man while she went to Mamelodi. While the child was playing outside, the man called her into the hut where he instructed her to undress. He himself also undressed and began to rape the child.

“After that, he told her not to tell anyone what happened. Later, when the mother came and bathed the child, the child jumped. When the mother asked what happened, the child told the mother about the incident.

“The next morning, the mother reported the incident to the police and the child was taken to the doctor. The man was arrested on August 7, 2022 and has been in custody since the state successfully opposed his bail application.”

During the trial, the man pleaded not guilty. Nevertheless, the court found him guilty.

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Following his conviction and during the sentencing process, the man asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence because he had been in custody since his arrest.

Prosecutor Mpho Monyane requested that the court impose a life sentence on the man for the serious offence of rape of a minor child.

“The man was housed, clothed and fed by the victim’s mother because he was unemployed, and he thanked her for her kindness by raping her child. The mother and child trusted him, and he abused their trust.”

Judge Johanah Mthimunye said she found no substantial and compelling reasons to depart from imposing the mandatory minimum sentence.

The man was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.