Rapist father finally sentenced to life in prison

When a 16-year-old rape victim, whose case was reported in 2009, died, many in the community thought that would be the end of the case as the victim was dead.

That was not to be as the case continued without the victim, and the suspect in the case was finally convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The dedicated investigative work by a seasoned detective was not dampened and ensured that justice was served, even after the victim had passed on.

The Malamulele Regional Court sentenced 61-year Takalani Albert Mudau of Tshimbupfe, the biological father of the victim, to life imprisonment last Friday.

The ordeal of the 16-year-old girl started in 2006 when her parents divorced, and she had to visit her biological father, who stayed in another village, from time to time. During those visits, the biological father raped her at his cash loan business in Thohoyandou.

The mother only discovered that she had been raped after she fell pregnant. When the mother enquired about the pregnancy, she was shocked to find that the girl's father had impregnated her.

A case was opened, and Mudau was arrested in 2009. A baby boy was born from the pregnancy. A year and a half later, the girl died, and many thought it would be a blow to the case as, because of some technicalities, Mudau was released.

According to the prosecuting authority, sterling detective work and the use of modern DNA testing techniques done on the boy proved that Mudau was the father. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The mother of the dead girl, who now stays at Mpheni outside Louis Trichardt, applauded the justice system, saying the family had hard times thinking about the ordeal the girl had gone through. "The long wait has been worth it. My daughter developed a heart attack immediately after the case was opened. She could not withstand the sight of standing with her father in court," said the mother. 

Acting Thohoyandou Cluster Commander Brig Willie Mashava described the sentence as a remarkable achievement for the whole SAPS, as well as the women and children of South Africa.

He said it was befitting that the Mudau was sentenced when the whole country was commemorating the 16 days of activism against the abuse of women and children. He commended the investigating officer and her unit, saying they all deserved a big pat on the back.

"This will definitely send a strong message to the community out there that the abuse of women and children will not be tolerated and that all who do it will end up in prison," he said.

News - Date: 09 December 2018

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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