SOUTH AFRICA -               A 39-year-old KwaZulu-Natal father has bagged life sentence for repeatedly raping his daughter, who is now 14 years old, at their home in Rietvlei, Greytown.

The child spilt the beans after a neighbour, who noticed that she behaved strangely, started to ask her questions, according to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane.

“On July 24 2018, the victim was at home with her father when he raped her. The father has been getting away with raping her for a while until a concerned neighbour noticed the strange behaviour of the child and questioned her.

“The victim broke her silence and confirmed that her father had been raping her since 2017 and threatened her with violence,” he said.

A rape case was opened at the Rietvlei police station and the docket was transferred to the Greytown Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences for further investigation.

The father was arrested at his home on July 26, 2018.

“He made several court appearances until he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday (June 26, 2019) by the Greytown Regional Court. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and his name will entered into the national sexual offenders register,” Zwane said.