The Pretoria High Court has found a 32-year-old Olievenhoutbosch man guilty of raping and attempting to murder his 11-month-old daughter, as well as obstructing justice.
He was found 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 case has been postponed to March 6, 2023 for sentence proceedings.
On the evening of April 30, 2023, while at home, the baby’s parents, who were a couple, were interrupted when a neighbour requested the mother’s assistance with cooking for an overnight event. The mother agreed to help and left the baby in the father’s care.
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.
According to Lumka Mahanjana, the NPA Regional Spokesperson, when asked about the infant’s whereabouts, the father told his wife that he had left the baby to rest. Later on at their residence, they found the infant lying on her chest with her back raised.
When the mother reached out to change the child’s diaper, the signs of distress were apparent as they cried out vocally.
Mahanjana reported, “As the mother swapped out the diaper, she observed that although the baby had been bathed, their genital region was puffy and there were traces of semen on it.”
According to Mahanjana, the two then took the child to another neighbour who is a traditional healer. While they were consulting the traditional healer, the man confessed what he had done.
“On the way home, the man threatened the mother with a knife and ordered her not to take the child to the clinic. The next day, the mother took the child to a clinic in Venda, but was instructed to return to Pretoria and report the case. When she arrived back in Pretoria on May 4, 2023, she reported the case to the police. That same day, the man was arrested at his home and has since been remanded in custody,” Mahanjana added,
In court, the man pleaded not guilty to all charges and explained that on the day of the incident, he had put his thumb in the baby’s private parts to remove dirt particles from playing outside and then bathed her.
However, prosecutor Vongani Khosa told the court that the father had sexually penetrated his baby as semen was visible. The court agreed with the prosecution and rejected the man’s version because it was inconsistent with the presence of semen and the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
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