A Northern Cape man who had been taken in by a compassionate family has been handed two life sentences for raping their young daughter. 

The 36-year-old was convicted by the Galeshewe Regional Court on two counts of rape.

According to Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Northern Cape, the man raped the 11-year-old girl on May 1 and May 2, 2022.

At the time of the incident, he was living with the girl’s family in a two-bedroom house and had been involved in her upbringing.

Senokoatsane explained that the couple had taken pity on the man and offered him a place to stay when he had nowhere else to go. He had been known to the family for years and was considered a trusted family friend.

“The accused, who the family trusted as he had helped raise the children, was sleeping with the children in the same room on the floor due to the limited space in the house. He was a family friend of the victim and had known the family for years, making him a part of the family,” Senokoatsane said.

While being accommodated by the family, the accused took advantage of the situation, raping the girl while the rest of the family slept in the same house. The child informed her parents, leading to the man's arrest and subsequent denial of bail.

During the trial, the girl’s parents expressed their deep sense of betrayal, stating that they had considered the man a fatherly figure who had repaid their kindness with horrific violence against their child. The accused denied the charges, but DNA evidence confirmed his guilt.