De Klerk suspect pleads not guilty

FW de Klerk said he was willing to testify if necessary

The man accused of the rape and murder of Marike de Klerk, South Africa's former first lady, has pleaded not guilty to all charges at the beginning of his trial in Cape Town.

Marike de Klerk was killed in her beachfront home

Luyanda Mboniswa, a security guard at Mrs de Klerk's luxury beachfront apartment, had the charge of rape added to that of murder as the trial got under way.

The ex-wife of former South African President FW de Klerk was discovered dead in her apartment in Tableview, just north of Cape Town, in December last year.

She had been stabbed in the back and strangled in a vicious attack.

Prosecutors said the charges were amended to include rape after forensic evidence was re-examined.

The state has said it will call 92 witnesses in all, and the trial is expected to last at least a month.

Ex-husband present

Mr Mboniswa, 21, was arrested two days after the killing.

He was traced by police investigators after reportedly making a call from de Klerk's stolen mobile phone.

There have been allegations that her dance instructor was an accomplice to her murder, but police say he passed lie detector tests and is not a suspect.

Her ex-husband said he was happy with the way the police have carried out the investigation and would be willing to testify if necessary.

The former South African president, who helped enable the country's tumultuous transition to a multi-racial democracy, attended the first day of the trial and appealed to the country to halt the spiral of violence.

The de Klerks were married for 39 years before divorcing in 1998, with Mr de Klerk admitting to an affair with Elita Georgiades, the wife of a Greek shipping tycoon whom he subsequently married.