I cannot begin to even try and understand the absolute emotional trauma that the 13 year old child went through and the fact that they are now in a witness protection programme, surely must indicate the kind of trauma that they are currently going through.
There is something very wrong with the system, when the 'monster' has more rights than the victim!
No bail for father accused of incest
Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
December 06 2006 at 07:30AM
To the outside world he was a family man well respected in the community, but beneath the facade lay a dark family secret that he fathered three children by his own daughter. His stature within the community belies the serious sexual-abuse offences he is accused of committing against his own flesh and blood. On Tuesday, this man, from KwaNyamazane in Mpumalanga, appeared in the Nelspruit regional court on charges of rape and incest. Clean shaven, sporting a navy jacket, white shirt and blue jeans, the accused made no eye contact when he entered court with an army of supporters, including his three grown-up sons, his brother and other family members.
In the dock he kept his head bowed, listening attentively to proceedings and shook his head disappointingly when magistrate Andre Geldenhuys denied him bail and postponed the matter to April 12. Earlier, the accused's 21-year-old daughter arrived in court carrying her 2-year-old son. Accompanying the complainant was her mother, who is a state witness. Both mother and daughter are in the witness protection programme. The complainant told a court official she had dropped out of school in Grade 8 but was planning to resume her studies next year.
During proceedings, to the surprise of the magistrate, the accused brought a bail application. Turning him down, Geldenhuys told to the accused that earlier in the day he had been told that he (the accused) would plead guilty. The fact that the accused had changed his mind at the last minute had caught him by surprise. The magistrate noted that he could not now deal with the question of bail as he did not know why a previous magistrate had refused the accused bail when he was arrested in February this year. He warned the accused that he was facing very serious charges and that his wife, daughter and other young children were in the witness protection programme. In terms of the programme the witnesses were now kept in a place of safety outside Mpumalanga. Geldenhuys advised the man that if he wanted to apply for bail, he had to take the case to the magistrate who had refused him bail. He added that although the accused was entitled to a speedy trial, he was now causing the delay of his trial. Geldenhuys mentioned that when he was informed that the accused was planning to plead guilty, the state was ready to proceed.
The state had lined up five witnesses, including the complainant, to start giving evidence. Now that the accused had changed his mind on the plea, the state would need more time to further consult with all the witnesses. The complainant's problems began in 1998, when she was only 13. Her father had called his family, including his wife, to tell them that he had had a vision from God that he must sleep with his daughter to protect her from "the oncoming wave of mayhem and chaos that will culminate in Armageddon". The sexual abuse of the girl resulted in her bearing three children, now aged 6, 3 and 2. It is alleged that the man kept his family virtual prisoners in their own home by refusing to allow his wife and daughter to leave the house unless they were going out to buy groceries.
This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on December 06, 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment