A small protest group gathered at the Johannesburg High Court on Monday where the trial of a city chef, alleged to be South Africa’s worst serial rapist, was scheduled to begin.
However, the protesters found that they would only see the accused, who was 39 at the time of his arrest, plead to the 132 charges he faces on Thursday. The trial was postponed due to the unavailability of assessors until then. According to South African law, a suspect cannot be named until they have pleaded to the charges they face.
Of the 132 charges he faces, 32 are for the alleged rape of schoolgirls aged between seven and 14. He allegedly asked the girls for directions while pretending to be a policeman.
He was a sought-after chef in Yeoville, Johannesburg, and on occasion prepared exotic African dishes for visiting movie stars.
Other charges include indecent assault, kidnapping, impersonating a policeman, and the illegal possession of a firearm. The crimes took place in the Yeoville, Berea, Hillbrow and Alexandra areas.
During an unsuccessful bail application after his arrest, Khumalo claimed mistaken identity and alleged he was on duty at a local restaurant at the time of most of the rapes.
At the time of his arrest he was married with children. – Sapa