Benoni man accused of raping and impregnating daughter denied bail

The Herald

2 days ago

The Tsakani magistrate's court on Tuesday denied bail to a 39-year-old man from Lindelani, Benoni, who is accused of raping and impregnating his daughter, who was 15, in 2022.
The man had applied for bail on Friday.
'The alleged abuse began in March 2022 when the victim lived with her parents and younger brother in Tsakani,' National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said.
On the day of the first incident, the mother was at church and left her daughter with her father and brother. The father allegedly called the victim into the house and sent her brother to buy chips.
'When the victim got inside the house she found the father in her room. The father allegedly locked the door behind her, undressed both himself and the victim, raped her, and left her in her room.'
Upon the mother's return, she found the victim crying on her bed.
'She told her mother what had happened but the mother did not believe her.'
The abuse allegedly continued when the mother was not around and the child stopped telling her mother as she still did not believe the victim.
The child became pregnant the same year. The mother brought a concoction and told the child to drink it in an attempt to abort her baby, which failed. The parents then moved the victim to Limpopo to live with her paternal grandmother, where she gave birth to a boy in December 2022.
'After turning 18, the victim opened a case in Limpopo on July 7 2025, resulting in the father's arrest on July 19 2025.'
In court, the father sought R1,000 bail, citing his role as the primary caregiver for his three children aged one, 12, and 18 since his unemployed wife could not support them.
Prosecutor Sindi Leonora Sejake called investigating officer Sgt Tebogo Lephoto, who opposed the accused's release on bail because the state had a strong case.
Lephoto said DNA evidence revealed that the accused was the father of the victim's three-year-old child.
'The investigating officer testified that the accused was likely to interfere with witnesses since he went to Limpopo from Gauteng in attempt to confront the child after he realised that the child had opened a case against him and was speaking about the matter on social media.'
Magistrate Tebogo Lekgau denied bail, noting the severity of the charge and the likelihood of a life sentence if convicted.
She emphasised the strong state case, the accused's potential to evade trial and the community outcry that prompted the family's relocation.
'Moreover, the magistrate said, the vulnerable child was failed by her father as he repeatedly raped her, while her mother also failed to protect her by refusing to believe her.'
The case was postponed to August 28.
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