The former policeman who has been sitting behind bars for months waiting for his trial to commence will have to wait a little longer, after the court proceedings against him were postponed until December,

The man may not be identified before he has pleaded to the 54 charges against him, including for rape.

The case will return to court on December 14 and 15 for plea proceedings.

After that, the case is also back on the roll from January 18 to 22 for witnesses and trial.

The cases against him stem from years of allegations and subsequent investigations, for which he was dismissed by the police at one point, but later reinstated.

Late last year, he was transported from the Cape to Middelburg on warrants for the charges in Middelburg, where many of the alleged crimes took place.

He has been in custody since his arrival here while the charges against him have increased since his first appearances.

There are 18 complainants in total.