A Kempton Park couple has been sentenced for sexually abusing their biological children. The parents’ names have been withheld to protect the identity of the children. Picture: EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA / Pexels
A Kempton Park couple has been sentenced for sexually abusing their biological children. The parents’ names have been withheld to protect the identity of the children.
The couple sexually abused their three children over a three-year period. The children were all under the age of 10 when the abuse started.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng, Phindi Mjonondwane said the duo were sentenced in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Local Division, Johannesburg on Monday.
According to the NPA, they were charged with 17 counts of rape, four counts of conspiracy to commit a sexual offence, four counts of aiding and abetting another person to commit a sexual offence, three counts of compelled rape, two counts of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, four counts of sexual grooming of children, four counts of compelling or causing children to witness sexual offences, two counts of exposure or display of or causing exposure of children pornography, and four counts of sexual assault.
During proceedings, the court heard how the couple would blindfold one of the children and rape her with the others in the room. The couple would also insert their fingers and toys into the children's genitals and made them watch pornographic material. They further threatened to kill the children if they ever told people about the abuse.
One of the children was further raped by her grandfather. One of the incidents was witnessed by the child's grandmother who confronted the man.
Mjonondwane said the years of abuse was eventually made public when the grandmother took the children to a doctor after they displayed sexual behaviour towards each other.
When the children were removed from their parents' custody and lived with family, they were caught touching each other and confessed that they had learnt this behaviour from their parents.
Months later, the children told their relatives about the abuse and a social worker was called in and the matter reported to police.
The parents were arrested in February 2022.
The mother and father pleaded not guilty to all the charges and blamed a relative for forcing the children to lie about the abuse. They further claimed that the relatives wanted to adopt the children.
In court, Senior State advocate Rolene Barnard argued for a harsher sentence, adding that the abuse robbed the children of their innocence.
The couple, aged 43 and 22, were sentenced to life and 25 years imprisonment, respectively.
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