Northern KZN man jailed for life for brutal rape of his mother

A northern KwaZulu-Natal man, who raped his mother in a brutal attack in front of her grandchild, has been handed a life sentence by the Ngwelezane Regional Court.

The man, 32, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his mother, raped his mother in an incident in the Nseleni area near Empangeni, where the accused and the complainant lived on the same homestead.

A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ngwelezane Regional Court after he was convicted of raping and assaulting his biological mother.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in KZN Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the incident took place in December 2024.

“On the evening of December 01, 2024, the complainant was lying in bed with her minor granddaughter when the accused knocked on her door. Upon opening it, the accused began shouting at her, accusing her of speaking about him to other people.

“Despite her denial, he made threatening remarks and proceeded to undress before physically assaulting her by slapping and punching her. He then forced her onto the bed and raped her, in the presence of the minor child," Ramkisson-Kara said.

In a bid to leave the home, the mother asked for permission to go outside to drink water.

“When the accused allowed her to do so, the child followed her. The complainant then took the child and fled to a neighbouring homestead, where they spent the night. Due to shock and embarrassment, she initially only reported the assault to her neighbours,” she said.

The following morning, the mother disclosed the full extent of the assault to a relative and was taken to the police, where a case was opened. She was also referred to the Ngwelezane Thuthuzela Care Centre for medical and legal support.

The accused fled the scene but was arrested two weeks later after being apprehended by his cousins and handed over to the police.

During the trial, the State presented evidence from the complainant, the investigating officer, and a medical practitioner, and also submitted a Victim Impact Statement detailing the trauma suffered.

“In her statement, the complainant described feeling horrified and deeply violated, stating that she never imagined her own child would commit such an act against her.

“The court ordered that the sentences of life imprisonment and 10 years’ imprisonment run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment. The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.”

Meanwhile a 34-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and rape of a woman in the Osizweni area near Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, in June 2019.

Siyabonga Christopher Xulu was assisted by two unknown men to kidnap the victim who lived in his area.

Ramkisson-Kara, stated that Xulu assaulted the victim when she resisted his attempts to undress her before raping her in an open field.

Following the assault, he dragged her to a graveyard and left her there.

When the victim regained consciousness she reported the ordeal at a nearby homestead, and received medico-legal assistance at a Thuthuzela Care Centre in Madadeni.

Xulu was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and was positively identified by the victim. 

The court heard the victim's testimony who testified that she suffered significant physical injuries and had ongoing psychological trauma, which has resulted in her distrust of men. 

“In addition to the life sentence for rape, Xulu received a five-year concurrent sentence for kidnapping and was declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Ramkisson-Kara said. 

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