A 28-year-old man appeared briefly in the Grahamstown High Court on Monday in connection with more than 40 separate charges of rape.

The man cannot yet be named‚ as he was not asked to plead. If found guilty on all charges‚ he could be considered one of the country’s worst serial rapists.

He is accused of a string of terrible crimes against dozens of women‚ teenagers and children‚ aged from 11 to 46‚ in a violent five-year spree.

The rapes were committed in far-flung towns and cities throughout the province‚ including Alice‚ Bathurst‚ Dutywa and Willowvale‚ and the suspect is alleged to have committed some of the crimes as far away as Stellenbosch in Western Cape and Rustenberg in North West.

According to the indictment‚ the man – himself a former Fort Hare University student – terrorised the Alice campus of Fort Hare University between 2012 and 2013‚ where he is alleged to have raped at least six students.

The indictment also indicates that he has been linked via DNA evidence to all the rapes.

The matter was postponed to December 14‚ when the man is expected to plead to all the charges.

In total‚ the accused faces some 67 charges‚ including rape‚ assault‚ housebreaking with intent to rob and rape‚ robbery and theft.