A 38-year-old Limpopo man was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Thabamoopo Regional Court for the rape of his 13-year-old stepdaughter.
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A 38-year-old Limpopo man has been handed a life sentence after the Thabamoopo Regional Court heard how he showed "no signs of remorse" for the brutal rape of his 13-year-old stepdaughter.
The Magatle man, whose identity is being withheld to protect the minor from secondary victimisation, was sentenced this week following a harrowing trial that exposed a chilling betrayal of trust within a family home.
The court heard that on January 10, 2024, in Gedroogte village, the accused waited for a specific opportunity to attack the child. While the victim and her mother were finishing laundry, the mother briefly left the homestead to charge her phone at a neighbour’s house.
Once the mother had left, the stepfather abandoned his gardening work and followed the teenager into her mother’s bedroom while she was preparing to bathe.
Despite his categorical denial of the events, the court found that he violated the child in the very space where she should have felt safest.
State Advocate Bertha Kotsedi argued that the accused’s total lack of accountability made him a persistent danger to society.
Kotsedi highlighted that the man had not only committed a heinous act but had fundamentally betrayed his role as a protector. She urged the court to view the case through the lens of South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence (GBV) epidemic.
"This matter falls within the ambit of Gender-Based Violence, which has been declared a national crisis," Kotsedi submitted. "The court should impose a sentence that would deter would-be offenders."
The prosecution further detailed the "significant psychological and emotional impact" the incident has had on the young girl and her family, noting that the trauma was compounded by the accused’s refusal to admit guilt or show even a shred of regret.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) lauded the life sentence as a victory for vulnerable victims. Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Ivy Thenga, stated that the conviction removes a violent offender from the streets and provides a semblance of closure to the family.
"The NPA remains committed to prosecuting crimes against women and children and ensuring that perpetrators are held fully accountable," Thenga said.
The accused was arrested two days after the attack on January 12, 2024, and remained in custody throughout the trial.
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