PRIESKA – The Prieska Regional Court in the Northern Cape has sentenced Christian Ranthaba to life imprisonment following his conviction for the prolonged rape of his girlfriend’s daughter, which began when she was three years old and continued for 13 years.
According to NPA Regional Spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane, during this time, the victim became pregnant twice: the first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, while the second was discovered when the victim’s boyfriend uncovered the abuse and alerted authorities.
Senokoatsane noted that this led to her rescue from the farmhouse where the accused had confined her and prevented her from leaving.
“The victim later underwent an abortion, and DNA testing on the aborted fetus conclusively matched the accused as the father,” Senokoatsane revealed.
Throughout the trial, Ranthaba denied any sexual contact with the victim and offered no credible explanation for the DNA evidence.
The matter was reported in July 2020 amid COVID-19 challenges, where the State presented evidence through multiple witnesses, proving the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.
The victim’s mother testified that she had been unaware of the abuse and had not observed any signs of pregnancy or behavioural changes, Senokoatsane explained.
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The case was then postponed for sentencing to allow for a social worker’s report.
The State then submitted a Victim Impact Statement prepared by Court Preparation Officer Naledi Leseba, in which the victim described the deep fear, pain, and betrayal she endured from a man who should have protected her. She expressed how the abuse robbed her of her childhood and teenage years.
Advocate Cornelia Deetlefs emphasised the extreme gravity of the offence, the accused’s complete lack of remorse, and the profound, lifelong harm inflicted on the victim.
The court found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence and imposed life imprisonment for rape.
