The De Aar Regional Court has sentenced a 34-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his niece.
She was 13 at the time of the offence.
According to Mojalefa Senokoatsane, communications manager of the National Prosecuting Authority, he was arrested after the victim fell pregnant.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape. Paternity tests were conducted during the trial, and DNA proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was the father of the baby.
The prosecutor said children should be encouraged to speak out to stop sexual abuse. He urged parents to be vigilant and notice behavioural changes in their children.
