- A 34-year-old man from Eldorado Park admitted in the Gauteng High Court to the rape and murder of his 4-year-old daughter in August 2025
- During sentencing, the father argued he should avoid life imprisonment because he had other children who needed him
- South Africans weighed in on the man's claims, sharing frustration with his justification for getting a more lenient sentence
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG — South Africans are fuming after a 34-year-old Eldorado Park man asked for a more lenient sentence after pleading guilty to the rape and murder of his 4-year-old daughter. He also assaulted his 3-year-old son.
The father appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on 26 October 2026 for sentencing proceedings for the crimes.
The crimes took place on 6 August 2025 while the children's mother was at work. The man confessed that he struck, bit, and drowned the girl in bath water. He also confessed to the rape.
The little girl died two days later at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
Father claims he has changed
During sentencing proceedings, the father sought to avoid the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment. When asked by the court to justify a deviation from that sentence, he testified about his other kids.
"I still have a daughter and still have a son to look after," he said.
State advocate Sharlene Mack challenged the argument, telling him that clearly he was not a person who should be looking after any children whatsoever.
"I am a better person now. At that time, I was using drugs," he countered.
The State also pointed out that the father does not know the current whereabouts of his biological children and that he had previously claimed not to be the biological father of the deceased girl.
The children's mother was also arrested
The children's mother was also arrested and has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, abuse, and failure to report sexual offences against a minor.
Her case has been separated from the father's proceedings, and she intends to apply for bail ahead of her trial, which is scheduled for February 2027. The father's sentencing proceedings are set to resume on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
How did South Africans react?
South Africans reacted with outrage after the case gained attention on social media.
@Annah_African wrote:
"Those kids do not need him."
@PorscheNND commented:
"That 'look after' should be taken as a threat."
@upendo_nzuri said:
"The audacity. He must stay under the jail. Rhaaa."
@Messygoes added:
"Even greater motivation for him to stay in jail forever so he doesn't hurt the remaining kids. Sies."
@Rolyamos wrote:
"He should stay far away from them for a long, long time."
Source: Briefly News
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