Dad rapes daughter's lesbian girlfriend

ACTIVISTS and organisations fighting for the rights of women have welcomed the 15-year-jail term imposed on a Port Elizabeth father who raped his daughter’s lesbian lover – just three days after he was released on parole for raping another person.
Zoleka Nqonqoza of the Rape Crisis Centre said her organisation was ecstatic that the perpetrator would spend a long time behind bars.


“Viva to the justice system for taking the abusers out of our society and putting them where they belong. Corrective rape is still a problem to be reported in South Africa and we need to educate the community regarding gay and lesbian rights in order for them to disclose and report incidences such as this,” Nqonqoza said.


But despite the guilty verdict handed down in the Port Elizabeth Regional Court yesterday, the 43-year-old father – who has been married for 17 years and has three children – insisted he had had consensual sex with his daughter’s 27-year-old partner.


The court emphasised the seriousness of the offence and that the man raped the victim only three days after he was released on parole after serving part of his 10-year sentence for an unrelated rape.


The court also ruled out the possibility of him being given a correctional supervision sentence, saying he demonstrated no remorse throughout the trial.


Melumzi Sipika project manager for Women against Women and Child Abuse (Wawa) said men should not view women as sex objects.


“We must treat lesbians as fellow human beings. We welcome this sentence and we encourage the community to report any form of abuse,” Sipika said.


John Preller who provides counselling and helps drug addicts also echoed the same sentiment by saying the perpetrator did not deserve parole.


“It’s terrible what he has done. My thoughts go out to the family and how it has impacted their lives. Many times it’s a person known and trusted by the family who commits such acts. It’s a terrible power play by men,” Preller said.


The victim and her partner were not present in court yesterday. The rape happened in 2010.