'We knew that she was HIV positive, we knew exactly where Zuma had touched her that night' In primary school grammar lessons we are taught about the possessive apostrophe- in those lessons, the teacher may have used phrases like "the pencil belongs to Andrew, so it's Andrew's pencil".And so when Khwezi died, the phrase "Jacob Zuma's rape accuser" was repeated over and over again. Even after her death and years after the trial in which Zuma was acquitted, Khwezi will always be tied to Zuma by that apostrophe.In the decade between that Sunday in November 2005 when the Sunday Times broke the news of rape charges being laid against Zuma, and the issuing of a statement by her family last week announcing her death, Khwezi's entire life and identity were shaped by that trial.South Africans learned the most intimate of details about her- we knew that she was HIV positive, we knew exactly where Zuma had touched her that night, and we even knew that she slept wrapped in a kanga, a piece of f...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.