A 22-year-old South African man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his biological mother at her home in Carnarvon, Northern Cape.
The Carnarvon Regional Court handed down the sentence after DNA evidence linked the man to the November 2025 sexual assault, leading him to eventually plead guilty to rape.
The 42-year-old victim was at home with her partner on November 23, 2025, when the incident occurred. The woman and her partner had been drinking before going to sleep, while the accused had also been drinking at a friend’s house before returning home.
According to the prosecution, the accused returned home and found his mother and her partner asleep. He then sexually assaulted his mother while she was unconscious.
The woman woke up during the assault and realised what was happening. Following a confrontation with her son, he fled the house.
She subsequently informed her partner about the incident, after which the matter was reported to the police.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said the accused initially denied the allegation after his arrest.
However, subsequent DNA analysis linked him to the offence.
“Faced with the compelling evidence presented by the State, including the complainant’s testimony and the DNA results, the accused ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge of rape,” Senokoatsane said.
In her victim impact statement before the court, the woman described the assault as a profound betrayal by her son, whom she had raised as a single mother.
She told the court that the incident continued to affect her emotionally and psychologically, saying she had been receiving counselling and struggled to sleep because of the trauma.
The court took the accused’s guilty plea into consideration while determining the sentence but held that the seriousness of the offence warranted a substantial custodial term.
The 22-year-old was subsequently sentenced to 20 years’ direct imprisonment.
The court also ordered that his details be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
