Family attacks woman who got partner jailed for raping their child

Moments after the mother of a toddler who was raped by her father received news that the baby’s dad had been sentenced to two life terms for the crime, her family turned against her, beating her up.

The 37-year-old woman who cannot be named to protect the baby’s identity was hospitalised overnight following Friday's attack after she was blamed for going ahead with the rape case.

She was allegedly attacked by her mother and brother who appeared in the Atteridgeville magistrate’s court in Tshwane yesterday.

The relatives face charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

They allegedly beat up the woman after she told them that the father of the child had been sentenced to a lengthy term behind bars.

On Friday, the investigating officer called the mother to inform her that her partner would be serving life behind bars for raping their then-11-month-old baby in May 2023.

But after informing her family about the court outcome, her brother and mother allegedly slapped and beat her with a stick.

She was injured all over her body, especially her back, hands and buttocks and struggled to sit.

The woman’s mother and brother were arrested on Saturday.

Their case was postponed to Thursday for formal bail application.

According to the charge sheet, the two unlawfully and intentionally assaulted the woman by hitting her with a stick and slapping her.

She was assisted by members of the community who took her to the police station and then to hospital to seek medical attention.

A police source said before and during the rape trial, the woman had been receiving threats from family members who instructed her to withdraw the case.

The source said the woman was previously offered R150 by the man’s family to withdraw the rape charge.

The woman recalled how her family members tried to convince her to drop the rape case.

She said after the incident, the baby’s father threatened her with a knife and begged her not to open a case and promised that "he would do anything for me and that what he did was a mistake".

“I also told my mother what had happened but she also advised me against opening a case, saying [the father] might have been bewitched. His family chased me from where we stayed with [the father].

“I found a place not far from where my mother stays. The reason I continued with the case is because I just asked myself why I would let this man get away with raping my daughter. I didn’t want to do that to her. I wanted to find justice for her.”

She said her family wanted her to drop the charges because the man took care of them.

“[The father] took care of everyone because I am unemployed. He and my mother were in a stokvel together. They each gave R2,500 every month.

“But he raped his child and that did not sit well with me. I needed justice for my child. When she grows up, I want her to know that I fought for her,” she said. 

National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the couple was at their place of residence when a neighbour asked the woman to help her cook for an overnight ceremony in April last year.

The mother then left the baby with the father.

Mahanjana said the baby cried when her mother was changing her nappy the following day. “The mother then noticed her baby’s private parts were swollen and there was semen on the diaper. 

“She then told the father that the child was raped, and they should take her to the clinic. However, the father suggested that they take the baby to a traditional healer who is a neighbour. During the consultation with the traditional healer, the father confessed to raping the child...”

Handing down the sentence, judge Papi Masopa said SA is facing a crisis in respect of rape, particularly of young children and this crime has brought about a sense of shock and disbelief in the community.

The court ordered that the father's name be recorded in the sexual offenders' register. – Additional Reporting Thulani Mbele