A businessman, a mining boss, four taxi bosses and one unemployed suspect. These are the occupations of the seven men accused of killing South African rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend, celebrity chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.
Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30; Lindani Ndimande, 30; Eddie Myeza, 22; Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, 36; and Lindokuhle Ndimande, 29; were remanded in custody, following their first appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning.
AKA and Tibz were gunned down on February 10, 2023 outside the Wish Restaurant on Florida Road, Durban.
All the accused entered the dock wearing face masks and scarves, but the magistrate ordered that they remove them, as they were appearing in open court.
For a year, police were mum about the investigation, with many speculating that this was a “cold case”, only for the police to announce this week that the seven suspects had been arrested this week.
KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi gave a detailed account of how and when the suspects were arrested, even explaining how they were linked to AKA and Tibz murder.
And while the rest of Mzansi ponders on the motive behind the rapper’s death, it is widely accepted his death was a contract killing. It is believed to have cost around R800,000, with each of the suspects grossing a reported R133,000.
The suspects were arrested between April 2023 and February this year by members of the KZN Provincial Organised Crime Unit comprising Detective warrant officers Bob Pillay, Praved Maharaj, Denver Parbhu and Sunil Sukdeo.
The unemployed
The first person to be arrested for the murder was 22-year-old Eddie Myeza. The uMlazi resident, who is unemployed, was arrested on April 22, 2023. In addition to this case, Myeza faces two counts of murder in another matter.
The taxi bosses
The second arrest was Lindani Ndimande, 30, a taxi boss from Empangeni. He was apparently nabbed while at gym. In addition to this case, Ndimande faces another count of murder in another case.
The third arrest took place on December 14. This was 30-year-old Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, a taxi boss from Mtubatuba on the KZN north coast. In addition to this case, Mkhwanazi faces a murder charge on a separate matter.
The mining boss
The fourth accused, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, 36, is alleged to be the co-ordinator of the hit and a businessman with mining interests in Limpopo.
He lives in Pinetown, outside Durban, and handed himself over to police on Monday (February 27) following a warrant for his arrest. He was reportedly on the run until his lawyer handed him over to the police.
Gwabeni does not face any other charges outside of the AKA matter. He is being represented by top Durban advocate Paul Jorgenson. During court proceedings, Jorgenson argued that his client is being refused food and bathing facilities while in custody.
The businessman
The fifth accused, Lindokuhle Ndimande, 29, handed himself over to police on Wednesday (February 28) at the Durban Central police station, following a warrant for his arrest. He is believed to be a businessman involved in farming in the Camperdown area near Pietermaritzburg.
The two brothers who fled to Eswatini are yet to be extradited.
They are aged 28 and 29 and are also believed to be taxi bosses in Empangeni. It is unknown when they will return to South Africa.
The suspects are expected back in court on March 6.
IOL News