The appellant, a 30-year-old man, was charged with raping his 44-year-old maternal aunt. In the early hours of 1 January 2004, after a quarrel at the appellant’s parental home, the complainant asked the appellant to accompany her to a friend’s house. Instead, he took her to his home at Extension 22, where he assaulted her, throttled her, threatened her with a knife, and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her. She reported the rape shortly thereafter to a friend, to the appellant’s parents, and to the police. Medical examination revealed bruising, and forensic evidence showed semen on genital swabs. DNA analysis demonstrated a 99.99% match between the semen and the appellant’s blood sample. The appellant denied the rape and raised an alibi, claiming he was with his girlfriend at the time. He was convicted in the Regional Court and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. His conviction and sentence were confirmed by the North Gauteng High Court, and he appealed further to the Supreme Court of Appeal.