‘Used for his gratification’: Woman accuses father of raping her as a child, years of abuse

A 23-YEAR-OLD woman, who testified that she had been abused by her father since pre-school, collapsed in the witness box while recalling how she felt like “a piece of meat” used for his sexual gratification.

She revealed harrowing details in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court this week, describing how she was allegedly raped and forced to perform oral sex on her father.

She had to be wheeled out of the courtroom in a wheelchair after collapsing to the floor, repeatedly crying out, “Nee, Pappa, jy maak my seer. Ek kan dit nie sluk nie, Pappa. Asseblief, help!” (“No, Daddy, you’re hurting me. I can’t swallow it, Daddy. Please, help!”)

Magistrate de Villiers on Wednesday dismissed an application from the defence to recuse herself after she witnessed the complainant collapsing. She indicated that she was accustomed to witnesses becoming emotionally distressed and that it would not impair her impartiality.

According to the charge sheet, the alleged incidents occurred between 2002 and 2017 at Rooifontein Farm, Orania and Cape Town, while the complainant was still under the age of 16.

She claimed that she only realised that she was being molested at her fifth birthday party, when she noticed that none of the other children were made to sit on their fathers’ laps.

“Before that, I never knew that what he was doing was inappropriate. I have recollections from the age of two or three years old, where he would become sexually aroused and would not allow me to get off his lap. 

“While my parents were still married, it would happen in the presence of my mother. When she tried to intervene, my father became aggressive and assaulted her with his fists. He told her to watch her mouth and threatened that, as an attorney with legal standing, he would ensure she never saw me again.”

She added that she was forced to sleep in the same bed and bathe with her father while he was “fully naked”.

“I felt uncomfortable as he would rape me in the bath. My father groomed me to please a man. He stuck his tongue in my ear and called it ‘slobbery kisses’. He would brush his hands over my buttocks and slide his hands to my private parts.” 

She testified that her father would watch pornographic videos when she visited him after her parents divorced. 

The complainant stated that during a brief visit to Orania, the accused insisted that they receive massages together in the same room at a spa.

“Afterwards, we went into the sauna room, even though I knew I could not enter due to my heart condition. He forced me to perform oral sex on him and became angry with me for not doing it right. She stated that her father would accompany her to the bathroom at night, even though she did not need any assistance.

“I would wake up the next morning with my clothes in disarray. I found it weird when he made me massage his inner thighs and genitals with a massaging device. He showed me how to use it on myself and gave it to me to take home. My mother was infuriated when she found me in my room, doing what my father had shown me.” 

‘Lack of support’ after attempting to report alleged incidents 

She indicated that a psychologist she confided in during 2013 had betrayed her trust by sharing the details with her father.

“I was 12 years old when I told her how he touched me inappropriately, and I spoke of his temper. From the age of five, the accused would touch my genitals while I was sitting on his lap and smell his hand afterwards."

She added that she experienced a brief respite in 2015 and 2016, when her father was imprisoned.

“All the dread and anxiety returned upon his release from jail. I feared him for as long as I can remember because of his violent temper and the way he used to beat my mother. 

"On one occasion, he came home in a drunken rage. He used red handcuffs to restrain me and pushed me onto the bed and raped me.”

She stated further that her father would slap her across the face and overpower her if she tried to resist his advances. 

“He was a big man and he would place pressure on my throat to prevent me from screaming.”

The complainant said she disclosed the alleged abuse to a pastor during a puppet show at the church.

“She came to console me, as I was distraught. I was referred for counselling with social workers. I felt vile, powerless and frightened.” 

She explained that she was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2014 and started fainting.

“In 2017, I was admitted in a critical condition to the intensive care unit. I was treated by a medical team, including a neurologist and two paediatricians, after experiencing a series of fits in the hospital. A psychologist from Cape Town diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder and conversion disorder. She convinced me that it was not my fault and that it was not shameful to speak about it, as my father had taught me. Extensive therapy enabled me to recall more memories.” 

She added that words with a sexual connotation would trigger flashbacks and seizures. 

The accused’s legal representative, Advocate Johan van Niekerk, questioned how the complainant could recall being abused at the age of two.

He added that different versions of the alleged incidents were recorded in different police statements. 

He questioned why the “shocking revelations” - that the accused allegedly touched the complainant’s private parts and then sniffed his hand - were never included in the consulting psychologist’s report or in any police statements.

The trial continues.