Man faces the full force of the law for raping his daughters and murdering his fiancée

The High Court in Durban sentenced a 38-year-old man to five life terms plus an additional six years’ imprisonment for the repeated rape of his stepdaughter, the rape, assault and attempted murder of his biological daughter, and the murder of his fiancée. In relation to the rape charges, the accused pleaded guilty (section 112) to raping his daughters (both stepdaughter and biological daughter).

The state had to prove its charges of assault, attempted murder and murder. The defendant began raping his stepdaughter in 2014, when she was 11 years old, and continued to do so until 2017, when his fiancée, the plaintiff’s mother, caught him engaging in suspicious behavior.

The mother was disturbed by what she saw and confronted the plaintiff in private. She asked her what was wrong, whereupon the plaintiff revealed to her all the details of the rape.

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The mother then confronted the defendant and ended the relationship. A few months later, the defendant reconciled with her and promised never to sexually abuse his stepdaughter again. However, the defendant continued to rape his stepdaughter and became jealous when he saw her talking to boys.

At that time, the plaintiff had already started work and sometimes came home late, so that the defendant was already waiting for her at the bus stop.

On one occasion, before murdering his fiancée, the defendant hit his stepdaughter and accused her of kissing someone. Her mother arrived at that time and a verbal argument ensued between the mother and the defendant.

On the night of May 12, 2022, the defendant lured his fiancée (the plaintiff’s mother) out of the house, away from the children, under the pretext of wanting to solve their problems. Outside, the defendant struck her with a blunt object on the head, neck and chest, inflicting fatal wounds.

He then rolled the body into a bush. The accused then went back inside and removed the bedclothes to cover the body. He also placed some branches on the body to conceal the crime.

He then went back to the house and lured his biological daughter (15) out of the house under the pretext that she should help him search for the dead woman.

He stabbed her and raped her in the bushes nearby. He returned to the house and ordered his stepdaughter to come to his bedroom.

There he raped her in the presence of his biological daughter. The accused fled the scene and was arrested about three months later in the Illovo area.

The complainants were taken to the Chatsworth Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical and psychosocial care.

Regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said: “To prove the State’s charge of assault, attempted murder and murder, advocate Thabani Buthelezi presented eyewitness testimony as well as circumstantial evidence. Buthelezi also presented victim impact statements compiled by the two complainants and assisted by court preparation officer Thandeka Nadi Mofokeng. In their statements, they described the horrific trauma they had experienced and said the accused was in a position of trust as a parent. Most painful for them was that he subsequently killed their mother, who protected them from his depraved acts.”

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The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment for each count of rape and murder. He was sentenced to one year for assault and five years for attempted murder. The sentences will run concurrently and he remains unfit to possess a firearm.

“The NPA commends the work of the prosecution and other stakeholders that led to the conviction. The accused took advantage of the vulnerability of his own children and such behaviour will not be tolerated by the courts. The NPA will continue to campaign for justice for victims of sexual crimes, gender-based violence and femicide,” Ramkisson-Kara concluded.