Dad in court for rape of 9-year-old

THE bail application of a 42-year-old Soshanguve man accused of raping his nine-year-old daughter was postponed again in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The man appeared for the fourth time on allegations that he raped his daughter, who has lived with him since the mother left when the child was a week old.

The father faces charges of rape and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The case came to light after a neighbour reported her suspicions to the police, saying a child in her neighbourhood was acting strangely. She said she suspected it was due to abuse.

Police spokesperson Captain Mathews Nkoadi said the girl was taken to a nearby clinic, where a medical practitioner confirmed that she had been raped repeatedly.

Scratch marks on the girl’s back were also discovered and were believed to have been inflicted by the father, who assaulted her when she refused his sexual overtures.

The girl was said to have told police she had been raped by her father, who subsequently confessed to the molestation.

During his court appearance last week, the father requested that his daughter be taken in by social services during his absence.

“I heard my child has been living with someone in Soshanguve block TT, so I ask that you tell the police to take her to social services because I am the only parent she has left,” he said.

The man has requested the assistance of a legal aid attorney to represent him when he launches a bail application on Tuesday.

The matter was postponed to December 13 for the bail application to proceed.– Goitsemang Tlhabye