A 14-year-old girl lost two teeth when she was attacked with a screwdriver allegedly by her stepfather who had attempted to rape her.

The girl, who had to be admitted in hospital, was also stabbed several times on her upper body, including chest and breasts.

Police spokesperson Captain Justice Ramaube said a 35-year-old man had been arrested and was facing charges of attempted rape and assault.

"The man has already appeared in the Benoni magistrate's court on Tuesday and he was denied bail," Ramaube said.

The girl's mother, a 35-year-old woman from Zenzele Extension near Putfontein in Ekurhuleni, said the man was her husband and the father of her three other children and that they had been living together under one roof for 13 years.

She said the incident happened on Saturday evening after her husband came back home drunk and asked where the girl was.

"I just heard a very sharp scream from outside and I got up and ran to the outside shack," she said.

She said after pushing the door open, she was confronted by a scene she'll never get out of her mind easily.

"I pushed the door and found my husband on top of my daughter. His hands pressing my little girl's arms against her chest and his whole body on her with his legs in between my daughter's legs while she was naked."

The woman said after pushing him off the girl, he responded by punching and slapping her up but she still managed to push him outside of the shack and locked the door.

"He then started kicking the wooden door and stabbed it with a screwdriver until a big hole developed and we could see his face through the hole."

She said she was very scared but waited until her daughter was fully dressed before leaving the shack and ran out.

However, when she reached the gate, her husband had caught up with her daughter and was pulling her as she lay on her stomach and screaming: "Ungishayelani baba?" (why are you beating me up, father).

The man allegedly turned her body and stabbed her several times on the body, breast and mouth, leading to her losing her front teeth.

The woman's twin sister said: "I did not think he would attempt to rape my niece because he raised her since she was one". A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said they were already used to witnessing violence from the household.