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MANZINI – “I was distressed such that I almost committed suicide.”

This was the submission by )aith¶s father Simon when presenting evidence as the second witness in the matter.

Simon who is employed in one of the renowned retail stores in 0an]ini said he was informed by his daughter that his own father pleaded to have sex with her. +e said all the gory details his daughter told him about were too heavy for him as a father.

Simon disclosed that he was not staying with his first born daughter )aith but had been informed that she had been previously misbehaving. +owever the father said it was not an opportunity for his father who was an elderly person to taNe advantage of it.

Counselling

³I was not expecting this from my father. It terrified me- this destroyed my life. I even sought counselling and at some point contemplated committing suicide ´ he said.

Simon also recalled that were several incidents about his father (accused) allegedly failing to conduct himself. +e said a meeting was held * Not real names. at the first instance the accused had done this. Simon revealed that he told his father that what he had done was a criminal offence. The father mentioned that it happened again and another meeting was convened.

+owever the witness said it did not stop and the family realised that they had failed. As a result he said the accused was convicted for rape and spent years imprisonment which he had recently served.

Complainant

+e revealed that the accused had touched the private parts of his daughter who was a sister to the complainant. +e said she was two years younger than the complainant.

(ven then he said he got to hear about this from a family member. +e said he was distraught such that he almost committed suicide. The witness said he asNed the accused the rationale for his action and what came to his mind as his father. Simon disclosed that the latest alleged act by his father triggered his trauma.

The matter was postponed and the accused was remanded in custody until 0ay for continuation of trial.