A 21-year-old man accused of killing his mother at Diyogha Village in the Mukwe Constituency made his first court appearance in the Rundu Magistrate's Court.

He is facing charges of murder, defeating the course of justice and violating the dead body.

Matende Ndjunga is accused of beating his mother to death with a pounding stick.

It is alleged that the deceased, Theresia Nando Kapinga, 57, lived with the suspect and another son, who is crippled, in makeshift structures at Diyogha.

The Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare in the Kavango East Region is inundated with cases of child marriages and rape involving children as young as 13.

Senior Social Worker Aurelia Mukundu says child marriage is fueled by harmful cultural practices and poverty.

Mukundu was speaking at the celebration of the Day of the Namibian Child at Martin Ndumba Secondary School in the Mukwe Constituency.

She said many cases of child rape go unreported, making it difficult to curb the abuse of children.