‘How could my own father do this?’ – HIV-positive Vredenburg man gets life for raping daughter

A Vredenburg father has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his 13-year-old daughter while knowing he was HIV-positive.

An HIV-positive Vredenburg father who raped his 13-year-old daughter without a condom, knowing he could infect her with the virus, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the horrific crime.

The 41-year-old man was convicted of two counts of rape and attempted murder in the Vredenburg Regional Court after entering into a plea and sentence agreement with the State.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for the first count of rape, 35 years for the second count of rape and 25 years for attempted murder, with all sentences ordered to run concurrently.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence, saying the man had abused his position of trust as the child's biological father.

NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “The attempted murder conviction followed the State's case that the accused had the requisite intention to kill his daughter by having unprotected sexual intercourse with her while knowing that he was HIV-positive and could infect her with HIV.”

In his plea agreement, the man admitted that the girl had lived with him since she was four years old after he separated from her mother.

According to Ntabazalila on May 23, 2025, the man's partner allegedly showed him pornographic material she claimed to have found on the child's cellphone, angering him.

The court heard how he instructed his daughter to pack her belongings, telling her he would take her to her mother's home.

Instead, he drove her to a secluded area behind a beach in Paternoster.

There, he allegedly ordered the child to lie on her back, removed her pants and underwear, and raped her.

He then drove home with her without taking her to her mother's house.

The accused admitted that he knew he was HIV-positive and did not use a condom during the rape.

Regional Court Prosecutor Chandre Minnaar argued that the victim was particularly vulnerable because of her age and her dependence on the adults entrusted with her care.

She said the accused's conduct was a profound betrayal of the trust inherent in the parent-child relationship.

In her victim impact statement, the girl said she was devastated by what her own father had done.

“What happened made me feel sad. I was very angry because how could my own father want to do this to me? I did not expect this from him,” she said.

Despite the abuse, she said she still loved her father.

“Daddy, I hope you enjoy prison life. I don't really know what it is like to grow up without a father, which is why I feel sorry for my little sister and brother, but it is your own fault, because how could you.”

Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Adrian Mopp said gender-based violence and violence against children remained a serious national concern.

The court also declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm or work with children.

His name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

The NPA said the sentence sent a clear message that those who violate children's dignity, bodily integrity and safety would face the full might of the law.