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Family cast aside sisters molested by father
Two sisters who were raped by their father are in foster care, spurned by their family.
In addition,
the Pretoria High Court heard on Tuesday, that the mother was angry with her children for speaking out because she now no
longer enjoyed her husband's income.
The 57-year-old Vereeniging father started raping his youngest daughter when
she was about nine years old. The child told her mother, but she did nothing to prevent the rapes.
The abuse came
to light only when the child was 13 and after her half-sister, visiting at the time, reported the rape.
The girl testified
that she was raped more than 10 times by her father, the attacks usually taking place when the mother was at work.
Her biological sister was 17 when the father was eventually arrested in 2002 for raping both girls.
The father, a petrol attendant, at first denied he had committed the rapes, claiming that he was impotent.
The state has asked for a life term behind bars, but Judge Ismail Mohamed questioned whether
it would be fair for the father to be released from prison when he was 82.
The judge postponed sentencing to August
26, saying he wanted at least one of the children to testify as to whether they still feared their father.
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on August 17, 2005 |
When no one does anything to help the children, many die. Many who survive repeat
the pattern with their own children and many simply
live with disabilities, both physical and mental. Some become
famous and work toward helping others but they are rare.
What can one person do? History has proven that
one person can do a lot. One person can influence the world. Defend the children and not only will you become
a hero to someone but you will reap rewards.
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