A father from Denneoord in George, convicted of raping seven young girls during sleepovers with his daughter at their home, has been sentenced to life imprisonment on 37 charges against him.
He was sentenced in the George regional court on Monday morning.
The 51-year-old suspect, whose identity cannot be disclosed to protect the victims, received the harshest sentence ever given in South Africa for offences of this nature.
The suspect was initially arrested and charged on 3033 charges including sexual assault, rape and the manufacturing and possession of child pornography.
In January this year he pleaded guilty in the Thembalethu regional court on 67 of the charges against him.
The suspect gave his young victims, during sleepovers at his daughter, sleeping tablets after which he raped them, capturing the deeds on camera.
Police spokesperson, Captain Malcolm Pojie, told Algoa FM News that the sentence is a triumph of justice and that victims of rape should not live in silence.
An activist and spokesperson for Woman and Men Against Child Abuse, Yvette Wilschut followed the trial closely and was present at Monday's sentencing.
"The fact that this father got 37 life sentences is absolutely fantastic and a relief for all the families and then he also got the extra ten years for the 29 charges of pornography against him" she said
She further encouraged victims to come forward to lay charges against their perpetrators as it could no longer be swept under the carpet.
