Cape Town – The Mthatha High Court has sentenced an Eastern Cape man, for raping his stepdaughter, to 28 years imprisonment.
The 37-year-old entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State, where he pleaded guilty to raping his wife’s daughter, from the age of 11 until 13.
The girl was impregnated in the process.
The rapist is not named in order to protect the identity of the girl.
In his plea explanation, the stepfather said he married his victim’s mother in 2013.
He said that, in 2017, the victim came to stay with them at their home, situated in the Manaleni Location, in the district of Ntabankulu.
The court heard that some time in September 2019, his 32-year-old wife left to her maiden home for a traditional ceremony and left the victim, along with his eight-year-old biological daughter, in his care.
He admitted that, on the same day, he raped the victim for the first time and threatened her with death if she told anyone, including her mother.
He admitted to the court he had “sexual intercourse” with the victim whenever her mother was not home, until December 17, 2020.
It was revealed to the court that the victim and the stepfather could not recall the number of times the assault occurred.
The victim broke her silence about the ordeal when her aunt noticed she was pregnant, while the mother was at her maiden home giving birth to her husband’s child, as per custom.
When confronted, the stepfather called a family meeting and asked relatives to resolve the matter before it reached authorities.
The court heard that when the family approached the traditional leader, he took them to the police station, where they found a case had already been opened.
The stepfather fled to KwaZulu-Natal, where he was arrested, in Bhambayi, in March.
State advocate Banele Mhlongo asked the court to impose a lengthy sentence, as the victim had to drop out of school at a young age and had to give birth to a child who would be a constant reminder of the horrible ordeal she went through with her stepfather.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL