AKA, Tibz murder suspects to appear in court
Five of the seven suspects nabbed in connection with the murders of rapper Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes and Tebello 'Tibz' Motsoane will make their first appearance at the Durban Magistrate Court on Thursday.
Forbes and his former manager were shot outside Durban’s Wish restaurant on Florida Road, just over a year ago.
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 expected to appear in court include the mastermind who planned, hired, and paid 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.
He 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 say 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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