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Durban DJ cries foul as paper fingers him as rapist

"It wasn't me" is all Durban DJ Chynaman can say to the public after his picture was mistakenly printed in a newspaper as that of a man accused of rape.

The 23-year-old club DJ, whose real name is Syabonga Gumede, said he got the shock of his life when he saw his photograph in a newspaper on Sunday and read about his "arrest for rape".

He said: "I was working at a gig in Mthatha when I found out the shocking news. I immediately phoned my mother and tried to explain that the paper had made a mistake. She has a heart condition and I had to rush home because she was starting to fall ill." Gumede said even though the story carried a different name, people were still convinced that he was the culprit because his photograph had been printed in the newspaper.

Gumede's manager, Kgolo Temba, said the incident had tarnished the DJ's image and has demanded a public apology from the newspaper. Temba said: "I have had to answer numerous phone calls from angry fans who saw DJ Chynaman in the paper. His family did not enjoy Christmas at all because of this." The fact is that a DJ from Soweto, who is known as China Salemane, and a co-accused were arrested on December 15 for the alleged rape of a 24-year-old woman.

The rape reportedly took place in 2002.

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