Five men accused of killing Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend, popular chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, made their second appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court where more charges of money laundering were added.
The suspects, who appeared briefly in court, now face 12 charges after the State added two more counts related to money laundering relating to R800 000 payment.
A police investigation shared earlier indicated that on February 10, 2023, at approximately 2pm, R800 000 was deposited into the First National Bank (FNB) account of businessman Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni.
The money was paid to and deposited into the account of the man who the police believe assembled the murderous group, hours before the two were shot to death.
The case has been postponed for March 14, when the specifics of their bail hearing will be revealed.
The five, identified as Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi (30), Lindani Zenzele Ndimande (35), Siyanda Eddie Myeza (21), Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni (36) and Lindokuhle Lindo Ndimande (29), face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and five counts of attempted murder.
This follows the postponement of the extradition case of two more suspects, 29-year-old Lindokuhle Ndimande and his brother, 28-year-old Siyabonga Ndimande in eSwatini.
There has been no clear indication of when the pair might be extradited to South Africa.
Last week, the rapper’s father, Tony Forbes, and Police Minister Bheki Cele flew to Durban and were present when the court proceedings began.
When he addressed the media in Durban, Forbes expressed his dissatisfaction and lingering concerns over the ‘true’ mastermind behind the AKA and Tibz murders after five suspects made their first appearance in court.
In addition, he raised concerns about the source of the substantial amount of money and recommended that the banking sector investigate further.
“I don’t think that the provincial commissioner was listening to the Q&A and the statement. I don’t think the commissioner meant the true mastermind; I think he was referring to the co-ordinator, and so the co-ordinator, if I understand things correctly, received the sum of money and shared it with the six other people.
“Where did that money come from? If it came from the banking system, then the banking system should be able to pick up the trail and find out where it came from. And continue the investigation. So is this the true mastermind? My gut feeling says no,” he said.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za