THOHOYANDOU - The Thohoyandou High court has shown that there is no room or mercy for rapists and criminals by sentencing a 68-year-old man to two life terms imprisonment for raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter on two occasions at Ha-Budeli village last December and in February this year.

The pensioner, whose name cannot be mentioned to protect the victim as the two are related, raped the young girl while her mother was at work. It is said that he first threatened her and raped her thereafter. "After the February rapes, and despite the threats, the girl told her sister who reported the matter to the police. The matter came to light when her elder sister noticed that her younger sister walked with difficulty and behaved strangely," said Capt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi, spokesperson for the police in the Far North.

When they enquired, the young girl confessed that her stepfather had raped her. Mushavhanamadi said that the man was arrested and refused bail. "The girl was later taken to the doctor who confirmed that she had been raped. The girl also told us that her father had threatened to kill her if she would disclose the rape ordeal to anyone," said Mushavhanamadi.

Mushavhanamadi further stated that gone are the days where you keep quite when things are going wrong. "We appeal to all those who are facing the same problem like this one to report the case to their nearest police stations or tell someone who could help before it's too late than to be silent, even though you are being threatened with death, speak out," he said. He concluded by saying that the old man is a threat to the community and to his daughters as well, and he is supposed to be the one who should guide his daughter.