A 31-year-old North West rapist has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the Moretele Regional Court for raping his own mother.
He was convicted of raping his 60-year-old mother at their home in Stinkwater near Moretele.
His name has been withheld to protect the identity of his victim so that she is not put through secondary trauma.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West division, Henry Mamothame said the incident took place on the evening of July 17, 2021.
“He found his mother cooking in the kitchen. He subsequently dragged her to the bedroom and raped her. Shortly after this ordeal, she managed to escape and reported the matter to his younger sister. They then proceeded to report the matter to the police,” said Mamothame.
The rapist was arrested the following day and was denied bail.
He pleaded guilty to the offence.
According to Mamothame, the State prosecutor, Patricia Matlala argued that the crime created a lot of shock to the victim, her family and the community.
It was further put to the court to consider the seriousness of the offence committed and to impose a heavy sentence on the rapist.
Magistrate Gilbert Sono agreed with the State and expressed disgust at the accused for his actions.
In another matter, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria convicted a 32-year-old father for rape and attempted murder of his 11-month-old daughter, as well as defeating the ends of justice.
The NPA said the father and the mother of the baby were in a relationship, and on the evening of April 30, 2023, the couple was at their place of residence when a neighbour came and asked the mother to come and help her cook.
The neighbour who asked for help was hosting an overnight ceremony. The child’s mother then departed with the neighbour, leaving the baby under the guardianship of her father.
“The following day, in the early hours of the morning, while the mother was still assisting the neighbour, she saw her partner on the streets. When she asked about the whereabouts of the baby, he told her that he had left the baby sleeping,” according to Gauteng NPA spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana.
“They then walked back to the house together where the mother found the baby lying on her chest with her back raised. When the mother touched the child to change her diaper she began to cry,” Mahanjana said.
“As the mother was changing the diaper, she noticed that the baby's private parts were swollen and there was semen on the diaper.”
The mother then notified the child’s father that their baby had been raped and they should take her to the clinic.
“However, the father suggested that they take the baby to a traditional healer who is a neighbour. During the consultation with the traditional healer, the father confessed to raping the child. That is when the traditional healer advised them to seek medical assistance, as he could not help them any further,” said Mahanjana.
The case has been postponed to March 6 for sentence proceedings.
IOL News