WESTERN CAPE. – "Dad, I hope you enjoy prison life. I don't really know what it's like to grow up without a father, and that's why I feel sorry for my little sister and brother. But it's your own fault, because how could you do this?" An HIV-positive father (41) was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday in the Vredenburg regional court after he raped his 13-year-old daughter without using a condom, while knowing he would expose her to HIV.
The man was convicted on two counts of rape and one of attempted murder after entering into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state. The court imposed a life sentence for the first rape, 35 years for the second rape and 25 years for attempted murder. All three sentences will run concurrently. The attempted murder conviction stems from his admission that he knew he was HIV-positive and could infect his daughter with the virus when he raped her without a condom.
Eric Ntabazalila, NPA spokesperson, says the man admitted that the girl is his biological daughter. She had lived with him since the age of four after he and her mother separated. On 23 May 2025, his live-in partner allegedly showed him pornographic material that she claimed she had found on the child's cellphone. This angered him and he told his daughter to pack her belongings because he would take her to her mother. However, he drove with her to a secluded spot behind a beach in Paternoster. There he walked around the vehicle, opened the passenger door and told her to lie on her back. He removed her pants and underwear and raped her before taking her home without dropping her off at her mother's.
Regional court prosecutor Chandre Minnaar argued during sentencing that the victim was particularly vulnerable and had to be able to rely on her parents for protection, care, guidance and safety.
In her victim impact statement, the girl said she was sad and angry because her own father had treated her that way. She said she had not expected this from him and that he had disappointed her, but that he is still her father and that she loves him very much. She also referred to her younger brother and sister who will have to grow up without their father.
The court declared the man unfit to possess a firearm. He was also declared unfit to work with children. The court further ordered that his name be entered in the national register for sex offenders and that the victim and her guardian be informed of the sentence.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
