He killed his wife, woke his two daughters up and raped them. As if that was not enough, the man who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, made one of the girls watch as he repeatedly raped her sister. Yesterday, the Pinetown Magistrates Court in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal sentenced him to five life terms for the horrific crimes.

FIVE LIFE SENTENCES

KZN SAPS spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the despicable events took place at KwaNyuswa, outside Durban, in the early hours of 11 May 2022. "The convict killed his wife and moments later, raped his biological daughter who was 15-years-old at the time. As if that was not enough, the man continued to rape his 18-year-old stepdaughter. On that fateful day, the now convicted rapist and murderer had a verbal altercation with his wife which resulted in him stabbing her to death and covered her body with leaves in the yard," Netshiunda said. He also said soon after the murder, the 38-year-old man woke his biological daughter up and told her that her mother had fallen ill and that he rushed her to a hospital. He convinced the teenage girl to go with him to the non-exciting hospital to 'check' on her mother and the unsuspecting child complied. "Few metres away from the house, the father turned on his daughter and raped her twice while assaulting her," Netshiunda added. At the time of the murder, the couple's last-born child was only six months old.

HE CROSS-DRESSED TO EVADE ARREST

Netshiunda said that after he had finished his heinous act, the man led his daughter back to the house where he woke up his stepdaughter and raped her with the 15-year-old watching. "The highly traumatised 15-year-old was able to solicit help from family members via WhatsApp texts. Upon the arrival of the family members, the suspect fled the scene. The concealed body of his wife was soon recovered and a murder charge was subsequently opened," he said. Netshiunda said that the suspect who had disappeared without a trace was hunted down through the assistance of crime intelligence. The man was caught three months after he committed the crimes and was found wearing a pinafore dress and a weave.