News24 | Eastern Cape man sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his daughter

An Eastern Cape man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his daughter. (iStock/Getty Images)

The Centane Regional Court, in the Eastern Cape, sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping his daughter.

The man, 27, raped his seven-year-old daughter at his home in the Lusizi Location, in Centane.

He cannot be named to protect the identity of the child.

Eastern Cape NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the rape happened in 2021. 

The man raped the child and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident.

The child reported the incident to her paternal grandparents, but was dismissed and threatened. 

Tyali said the girl then reported the rape to her maternal cousin, who alerted the family and the authorities. 

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"She was taken to Butterworth Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where medical examinations confirmed she had been violated, leading to the father's arrest," said Tyali. 

The man denied raping the child.

However, the acting Regional Court prosecutor, Siyabonga Manase, and the court preparation officer, Brenda Kapa, presented the girl's evidence before the court.

The girl's cousin and the TCC forensic nurse testified in court.

"After the conviction, Manase implored the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment, and the court agreed," said Tyali.