The Pretoria High Court sentenced a 32-year-old father from Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion, Gauteng to two life terms for the rape and attempted murder of his 11-month-old daughter. He was also given two years of direct imprisonment for defeating the ends of justice. The court ordered that his name be recorded in the sexual offenders register.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said on the evening of 30 April 2023, the parents of the baby where at their place of residence when a neighbour came and asked the mother of the child to help her cook since she was having an overnight ceremony. "The mother then left the baby in the care of her father. The following day in the early hours of the morning while the mother was still assisting the neighbour, she saw her partner on the street. When she asked about the whereabouts of the baby, he told her that he had left the baby sleeping, "said Mahanjana. She said they then walked back to the house together where the mother found the baby lying on her chest with her back raised. "When the mother touched the child to change her diaper she began to cry. As the mother was changing the diaper, she noticed that the 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. "

Mahanjana added that is when the traditional healer advised them to seek medical assistance as he could not help them any further. "When they returned home from the traditional healer, the man threatened the mother with a knife and ordered her not to take the child to the clinic as this would attract attention from the community. The following day, the mother went to Limpopo pretending to visit her other child but instead took the baby to a clinic in Venda but was told to return to Pretoria and report the case. After arriving back in Pretoria on 04 May 2023, she reported the case to the police and later that day, the father was arrested at his place of residence and has been in custody since." 

In court, after he was found guilty of the charges, through his legal representative, he asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence as he is a first-time offender. However, state prosecutor, Advocate Vongani Khosa told the court that the man was in a position of trust as he is the father of the victim and chose to betray that trust. Furthermore, the father showed no remorse after committing the offence because he refused the child to be taken to the hospital and denied committing the offences even after being found guilty. When handing down the sentence Judge Papi Masopa, said South Africa 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. Therefore, the judge agreed with the state and found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.