Acclaimed artist and photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa stomped a Woodstock sex worker to death, The State alleges.
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Internationally acclaimed artist and photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa allegedly trampled a Woodstock sex worker to death.
Mthethwa, 52, of Devil’s Peak appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Prosecutor Johan Swart told the court the murder case was ready to be transferred to the Western Cape High Court for trial.
Mthethwa has not yet pleaded to the charge.
The State alleges in its indictment that Mthethwa killed Nokuphila Moudy Kumalo, 23, by “kicking and stomping her body repeatedly with booted foot” on April 14 last year.
It is alleged that Kumalo, also known as Ntombi Khunlo, was standing in Ravenscraig Road, Woodstock in the early hours when a black Porsche 911 Carrera 2 SA coupe stopped close to her.
“The driver of the motor vehicle exited the vehicle, walked to the deceased (Kumalo) and attacked her by repeatedly kicking and stomping (on) her…” the summary of facts reads.
The incident was captured by CCTV cameras in Ravenscraig Road.
The State also alleged that Mthethwa was assisted by an unknown woman who searched Kumalo during the attack.
Mthethwa then allegedly drove off in his Porsche which had a distinctive registration number: 991 Z-WP.
Records from a tracking device fitted to the Porsche show that the vehicle left Mthethwa’s home in Ben Avenue, Devil’s Peak in the early hours of the day Kumalo was killed, was driven to Ravenscraig Road and then back to Devil’s Peak.
According to the post-mortem, the cause of Kumalo’s death was “blunt trauma injury to the trunk of her body”.
Mthethwa is well known for his portraits of impoverished shack-dwellers and cane workers in Kwazulu-Natal.
He obtained a fine arts degree from the University of Cape Town in 1985 and later a Masters in fine arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology, according to his bail affidavit.
Mthethwa, who is on bail of R100 000, is due to appear in the High Court for a pre-trial hearing on April 25.
The trial is expected to run from June 2 to 26. William Booth, for Mthethwa, said the dates had not been arranged with him and that he had another trial scheduled in Port Nolloth for the first week of June.
He added however, that he would address his concerns with the judge presiding over the pre-trial conference.
jade.otto@inl.co.za
Cape Argus