South African artist Zwelethu Mthethwa appeared in court on Monday facing charges for the murder of Nukophila Kumalo, aged 23, the Daily Maverick reports. Evidence supporting the claims includes CCTV footage and the account of an eyewitness, indicating that Kumalo was beaten to death by the artist in the streets of Cape Town. Mthethwa’s arrest was delayed a few weeks as a result of his departure from the country. The case has been remanded but will be revisited in October when Mthethwa will be tried at the Regional Court in Cape Town. Everard Read Gallery, who represent the photographer and painter, are continuing to do so. Its director Mark Read told the South African Times, ‘I have chosen not to ask questions of Zwelethu. We’ve not spoken about it and I respect his privacy in this most appalling time.’ Mthethwa is also represented by Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, where he had a show earlier this year. He has also exhibited at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the John Hope Franklin Center, Duke University and Brundyn + Gonsalves, Cape Town.
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