| 2025/02/05 |
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Media Statement
POLOKWANE – A 60-year-old stepfather was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his daughter by the Groblersdal Regional Court on Tuesday, 04 February 2025. The court heard that the abuse began in 2001 when the victim was just 11 years old. The accused, who was the victim’s stepfather, would threaten to kill her, wait for her to return from school, and then sexually assaulted her. He even went as far as to stop her from attending school and forced her to become his wife while they were still living in Middleburg. The victim suffered unimaginable trauma, including being assaulted with a homemade belt, having her private parts cut with a razor and being locked up with a key. She became pregnant at 15, and she was forcefully taken back to Dennilton RDP phase 2 by the accused. The sibling reported the assault case against the stepfather to the police early in 2022, and during the trial, when questioning the victim, the prosecutor became suspicious and requested intervention from the Groblersdal Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit (FCS). Through the investigations, the victims managed to report the incident of rape. During investigations, the accused was positively linked with the DNA samples and was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was opposed until he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape. The investigating officer, Sergeant Lethuba Tsheola, played a crucial role in bringing the accused to justice.
The Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the sentencing and applauded the investigating officer for ensuring that the perpetrator received harsher sentence. “This sentence serves as a reminder that justice will be served, no matter how long it takes,” concluded General.
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