A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his biological mother while she was asleep at her home in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, outh Africa.
The Carnarvon Regional Court sentenced the man after he pleaded guilty to rape following DNA evidence linked him to the offence.
The incident occurred on November 23, 2025, after the 42-year-old woman and her life partner had been drinking alcohol and fell asleep.
The accused, who had also been drinking at a friend’s house, returned home and found his mother and her partner asleep.
NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said he undressed his mother and sexually penetrated her without her consent.
The woman woke up during the assault and discovered her son on top of her. When she confronted him, he fled the house.
She later told her life partner what had happened and the matter was reported to police.
The accused initially denied the allegations in a warning statement following his arrest. However, DNA evidence later linked him to the crime.
“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.
State prosecutor Xolisa March also presented a Victim Impact Statement prepared by the complainant with the assistance of Court Preparation Officers Trott Manghana and Nicolene Moora.
The woman described the emotional impact of the assault, saying she had raised the accused as a single parent and felt “deeply hurt and betrayed” by her son.
She told the court that she continues to receive counselling and suffers ongoing trauma, including difficulty sleeping.
In arguing for a substantial sentence, the State said the accused had violated his mother’s dignity and bodily integrity while also abusing the trust between a parent and child.
“The State further submitted that he deliberately exploited the complainant’s vulnerability, knowing she was under the influence of alcohol and unable to adequately protect herself,” Senokoatsane said.
The court was also told that the accused had recently been released on parole after serving a sentence for a dishonesty-related offence when he committed the rape.
The State argued that this demonstrated a serious disregard for the law and the opportunity he had been given for rehabilitation.
Although the court considered his guilty plea as a mitigating factor, it found that the seriousness of the offence warranted a lengthy custodial sentence.
The court sentenced him to 20 years’ direct imprisonment and ordered that his details be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The NPA said it remained committed to securing justice for victims of sexual violence and holding perpetrators accountable.
“The NPA welcomes the sentence, which reflects the seriousness with which sexual offences are treated by the courts and the criminal justice system,” Senokoatsane said.
It also urged victims and survivors of sexual offences to report crimes and make use of victim-support services available throughout the criminal justice process. Ziyah News Network/iOL