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Prison cells
A man in Limpopo has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and assaulting his daughters, aged nine and eleven, and letting other men rape them.
The Polokwane High Court heard that the children were staying with the father on a farm in Letsitele outside Tzaneen after their parents divorced in 2022.
Police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba says the man allowed his 37-year-old friend and his farm workers to rape the girls when he could not pay them.
The friend has also been handed a life imprisonment for rape, while the suspected farm workers are on the run.
Ledwaba says another 68-year-old accused committed suicide before the trial began.
“The ordeal only came to light between August and November 2023 when an attentive educator observed concerning behavioural changes in the children. After they disclosed their abuse, the educator promptly alerted relevant stakeholders, including social workers and police, leading to the immediate removal of the children to place of safety. Limpopo police provincial commissioner Lieutenant Thembi Hadebe has commended the Tzaneen Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for their meticulous investigation which led to the successful prosecution.”
Concerns over child rape incidents in Limpopo
Meanwhile, some Limpopo residents have appealed for swift action to end incidents of child rape in the province.
It comes amid reports that a 36-year-old man had allegedly raped his four-year-old niece and a school teacher was arrested on allegations of raping a Grade 7 learner at his former school.
