Stepfather sentenced to life in prison for raping teen

The Roodepoort magistrate's court has sentenced a stepfather to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating his partner’s daughter. The alleged rapes were committed over time and the victim did not report them as the accused had threatened to kill her.

The victim was 15 years old when she reported the incidents on June 25 2022. She said she had been raped since the age of 11. The young girl said the rapes happened when her mother had gone to work as a domestic worker and stayed at her workplace. At the time of reporting, she had just given birth. The state conducted DNA and paternity tests on the accused and the newborn child and the results came out positive.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted on his plea. At the sentencing stage, prosecutor Zanele Chauke argued for life imprisonment stating that the accused abused the position of trust and that he pleaded guilty due to the overwhelming evidence against him. Chauke added that rape is a heinous crime that is degrading and violates the very dignity of the victims and their sense of security.

She argued that the plea by the accused must not be mistaken as a sign of remorse.

Ettiene Van Niekerk, the regional court magistrate, agreed with the state's submissions and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.

The NPA said it commends Chauke and the investigating officer, Sgt Grace Mabungu, for ensuring that justice was prevailed.

In a similar incident , a 17-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old stepfather who allegedly gave her liquor to fall asleep. While the young girl was sleeping, he then demanded she take off her clothes and raped her. 

A case of rape was registered and the stepfather was arrested on Tuesday. He will appear on Thursday in the Welkom magistrate's court, said Capt Stephen Thekeng. 

The case has also been referred to the Thabong Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation.