Lerato Mbhiza
THE case against five of the seven men accused of killing South African rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend and former manager Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane was postponed in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The case was postponed to March 6 during their brief appearance.
Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30; Lindani Ndimande, 30; Eddie Myeza, 22; Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, 36; and Lindokuhle Ndimande, 29; face a total of 10 charges.
The charges include murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Ndimande and Gwabeni are both being represented by top Durban advocate Paul Jorgenson.
The State has indicated that it intends to oppose the bail application.
Two of the accused were arrested in Eswatini and have not yet been extradited. The State said while the extradition process had started, there was no time frame as to when the men would be in South Africa.
AKA’s father, Tony Forbes, attended the court proceedings as well as Police Minister, Bheki Cele.
Police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) this week confirmed that Forbes was the main target of an assassination plot.
It’s understood that the suspects followed him on the day in question from the airport, to his hotel and then to the restaurant.
The accused appeared in court including the mastermind who planned, hired, and paid the suspects, two spotters, one who followed Forbes from the airport and another who was in the restaurant, two shooters seen in video footage of the incident, and a person who was tasked with hiring guns and vehicles.
On Tuesday, KZN police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, confirmed that some of the suspects were already in custody – with the earliest arrest taking place in April last year.
Mkhwanazi said this was part of an elaborate plan by detectives who were investigating the case.
“Once the investigating team identified the suspects, they began arresting them, for crimes committed in parallel cases, the majority of them murder. This kept the suspects in custody while the investigation continued,” said Mkhwanzi.
Only five suspects will be in court today, with the extradition process still underway for two of the accused who were arrested over the weekend in eSwatini.
Police said they have their suspicions on the motive but have remained tight-lipped and at this stage, say they haven’t ruled out the possibility of more arrests.
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