Two Limpopo men have been convicted for raping a father’s two daughters. The trial revealed horrific details about the abuse.
Key Points:
- The court convicted two men in Limpopo for raping the father’s daughters.
- A school assignment in 2022 exposed the abuse.
- The court convicted the father’s friend and another man alongside him.
A 39-year-old Limpopo father has been convicted on multiple charges, including rape, sexual exploitation, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against his two young daughters. Authorities withhold his name to protect the identities of the victims.
The court convicted the father alongside his 36-year-old friend, who the jury found guilty of two counts of rape. A third accused, 68-year-old Diedrick Schannes Roux, died by suicide shortly before the trial began. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo, Roux allegedly shot himself.
Where The Abuse Took Place
The accused men were reportedly farmers based in the Letsitele area, where the abuse took place. The victims, XT and TX, were 9 and 11 years old at the time of the incidents. Now, at ages 11 and 13, the authorities protect their identities.
Limpopo NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi confirmed that authorities keep the men’s names and farm details confidential to safeguard the minor victims. During the trial, the accused men pleaded not guilty to most charges, except for two counts of assault with intent to cause grievous harm. Six witnesses, including the victims, testified in the case.
The girls gave their testimony in camera, revealing how their mother had left them with their father following their parents’ divorce. In 2022, a homework assignment from their remedial teacher, which required them to write a letter about their feelings, led to the discovery of the abuse. The girls revealed to their teacher that they had been sexually and physically assaulted by their father and his friends.
The girls also reported that the father had failed to pay Zimbabwean workers at the farm, who then raped them. These men remain at large.
In another instance, the girls described visiting Roux’s family farm, where the men would swim with their children. The girls testified that Roux would take them to a deep area of the dam, where he would assault them. The court also heard that the father forced his daughters to watch him with his lover while engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Forensic social workers and nurses testified during the trial, and the court presented a J88 medical report. The father and his friend attempted to mitigate their sentences by claiming that the children had been brainwashed into making false accusations against them.
The court will schedule the sentencing of the convicted men for May.
