A Limpopo man who raped his 15-year-old daughter has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The sentence was imposed on the 43-year-old man by the Mankweng regional court near Polokwane on Wednesday, a punishment that Limpopo director of public prosecutions Ivy Thenga has welcomed.

Thenga expressed hope that would-be sexual predators would be deterred by this sentence.

The man, whose name cannot be revealed to protect his daughter, had on July 15 last year fetched his daughter from her grandfather’s homestead.

While walking home through the bush, he ordered her to undress and then raped her wearing a condom.

After the incident, the accused left the condom at the scene and they proceeded to their home.

The matter was reported to the police after the child informed her sister about her ordeal.

The man pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape but the state presented DNA and other evidence linking him to the offence.

After the man was found guilty, prosecutor Adv Makgomothi Masehela asked for the court to impose a life sentence on him, saying he had abused his position of trust as a parent.

Following the sentence, Thenga encouraged communities to report this type of crime to the police.