Three life terms for Worcester man who sexually abused daughter and stepdaughters

A repeat offender child rapist will serve three life terms for the rapes of his biological daughter and two stepdaughters. 

The 42-year-old Worcester man, who denied guilt throughout the trial, was sentenced by the Worcester Regional Court to three life terms and 15 years' direct imprisonment. 

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said the man was charged with attempted rape, three counts of rape, and a count of sexual assault. 

In counts one and two, the victim was his stepdaughter, and she was 10 years old and 15 years old at the times the crimes were committed.

In counts three and four, the victim was his biological daughter, and these crimes happened when she was 10 years old and 11 years old. 

In respect of count five, the victim was his second stepdaughter, and she was 14 years old.

Ntabazalila said that during the trial, the man pleaded not guilty to all charges and testified that he could not have committed the offences as alleged by the victims, as he did not reside with them and had little to no contact with them. 

“Acting regional court prosecutor, Cornelius Prinsloo, systematically and comprehensively destroyed (the accused's) credibility during cross-examination, leading to his conviction on all charges preferred against him.  

“In ensuring justice for the victims, Prinsloo led the evidence of six witnesses, including the victims. The first incident occurred in 2005, when the 10-year-old stepdaughter was lying in bed with her mother and the accused. He moved and lay behind her. She woke up when he unzipped her jeans and attempted to rape her. She did not tell anyone as she was afraid that no one would believe her.

“In 2010, he raped her after she came back from school. She told her cousin, who then reported the rape to their aunt, who contacted the police. He was arrested, appeared in court, but the charges were eventually withdrawn after her family pressured her to withdraw them,” said Ntabazalila.

The rape of his biological daughter happened when the minor girl came home from school.

The girl testified that she was afraid to tell anyone about what happened.

The second rape incident occurred while the girl’s mother was receiving cancer treatment.  

“One evening, while her mother, who was his wife, was receiving cancer treatment at a hospital in Cape Town… He moved her to his bed, covered her mouth with his hand, and raped her. She went back to their bed where her sisters were sleeping. She couldn’t sleep as she cried after her second ordeal,” said Ntabazalila.

The next morning, after her sisters noticed that she was withdrawn and that her face and eyes were red due to crying, a neighbour was alerted, who contacted the police and took her to the Worcester Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical examination. 

“She disclosed the 2019 incident when police interviewed her for the rape. The accused was arrested and charged. Her mother passed away shortly after the case was opened. After his arrest, the 2010 rape of his stepdaughter was reopened and added as another charge. The accused applied for bail, and the State vigorously opposed it, but the court granted him bail,” said Ntabazalila.

While out on bail, the man got involved in a romantic relationship with a different woman, who then moved in with him and her daughter.

“One evening in 2021, the daughter of his new girlfriend woke up with him lying behind her, rubbing his private parts against her. She stood up and went to sleep in another room. She did not tell her mother what happened as she feared she would not believe her. After a while, she disclosed what had happened to her aunt, who contacted the police, and the accused was arrested and kept in custody after his bail was revoked on the application of the State.”

The court ruled that the victims were credible and reliable witnesses whose testimony was consistent and corroborated through the evidence of doctors and first report witnesses, Ntabazalila said.

The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently. The man was declared unfit to possess a firearm and ordered to have his name entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.