Johannesburg,South Africa

The 32-year-old ruthless father was found guilty for rape and an attempted murder of his own 11-month-old daughter by the Pretoria High Court on Thursday.

According to Lumka Mahanjana -Regional Spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority in the Gauteng Division:Pretoria,the Pretoria High Court found a 32-year-old father from Olievenhoutbosch,guilty of 1 count of rape,1 count of attempted murder of his 11-month-old daughter,and 1 count of defeating the ends of justice.The father and the mother of the baby were in a love relationship,and on 30 April 2023,in the evening while the couple was at their place of residence,the neighbour came and asked the mother of the child to help her cook since she was having an overnight ceremony.The mother then left the baby with the man.

Mahanjana added that the following day in the early hours of the morning while the mother was still assisting the neighbour,she saw her partner on the streets.When she asked about the whereabouts of the baby,he told her that he had left the baby sleeping.They then walked back together to the house,where they found the baby lying on her chest with her back raised and when the mother touched the child to change her diaper she began to cry.As the mother was changing the diaper,she noticed that the baby was bathed,but her private parts were swollen and there was semen on the diaper.The two then took the child to another neighbour who is traditional healer,while consulting the traditional healer the man confessed about what he did.

The court heard that the culprit tried to threaten the mother of the child and instructed her not to sent the child to the healthcare facility for check-up.

Mahanjana continues to say that on their way back home,the man threatened the mother with a knife and ordered her not to take the child to the clinic.The following day,the mother took the child to a clinic in Venda but was told to return to Pretoria and report the case.After arriving back in Pretoria on 04 May 2023,she reported the case to the police and later that day,the man was arrested at his place of residence and has been in custody since.

During court proceedings the accused denied the accusations and made useless excuses to why the private part of the child was swollen and the man would be sentenced next month.

"In court,the man pleaded not guilty to all charges,and gave a plea explanation stating that on the day of the incident,he had inserted his thumb in the baby's private part to remove soil particles which were a result of her playing outside and thereafter bathed her.However,state prosecutor Adv Vongani Khosa,told the court that the father sexually penetrated his baby because semen was visible.The court agreed with the state and rejected the man's version because it was not consistent with the presence of semen and the state was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The case has been postponed to 06 March 2024 for sentence proceedings,"Mahanjana concludes.

North West man sentenced to life imprisonment for rape

Mochonyane(28) was sentenced to life imprisonment for assaulting and raping his neighbour and that incident happened on September 2022 in North West province.

According to Henry Mamothame - a Regional Spokesperson for National Prosecuting Authority in the North West Division,the Ganyesa Regional Court sentenced Mosimanegape Monchonyane(28),to life imprisonment on a charge of rape and 8 years for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.The court declared him unfit to possess a firearm.His conviction emanates from an incident that occurred on 10 September 2022 at Gamayai section at Tlakgameng village,wherein he broke into the home of the complainant who was his neighbour.He subsequently threatened her with and later assaulted her with a pick axe before raping her repeatedly.

The court heard that after he committed the crime he ran away but police pursued him to his workplace and where he was arrested and he was denied bail and also denied the rape accusations.

Mamothame added that following this incident,he fled the scene but police traced him at his workplace the following day and the court denied him bail.He pleaded not guilty to all charges;he told the court that the complainant was his girlfriend.In aggravation of sentence,the state prosecutor,Adv Mosimanegape Watson,urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment,as there are no substantial and compelling circumstances to do so.Magistrate Thataitsile Matolong agreed with the state and remarked on the right to dignity and for that dignity to be respected,which the accused failed to respect.

The sterling work of the prosecution team and police was applauded by the leadership of the National Prosecuting Authority in the North West Province.

"The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West,Dr Rachel Makhari,lauded the prosecutor,Sergeant Tebo Leepile from the South African Police Service(SAPS) and other role players for ensuring that the complainant receives the justice she deserves.She called for a united front against gender-based violence and femicide,and the abuse against women,children,and the elderly," concludes Mamothame.