Seven accused in AKA murder trial appear together as case postponed to October
A new trial date has been set for the suspects accused of murdering rapper AKA and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.
All seven suspects accused of the murders of rapper “AKA” and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane appeared together for the first time in the Durban High Court on Thursday.
Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and Motsoane were shot dead outside a restaurant on Durban’s Florida Road in February 2023.
Five suspects, including the alleged mastermind, were arrested a year later. Meanwhile, brothers Malusi and Siyabonga Ndimande, were formally added to the murder case after they were successfully extradited from eSwatini last year, where they were arrested.
On Thursday, the Ndimande brothers, along with their co-accused, Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi, Lindani Ndimande, Siyanda Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, and Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Mkhawanazi, entered the dock to a packed courtroom on the 12th floor.
MATTER NOT READY FOR TRIAL
The trial was initially scheduled to begin in July, but State prosecutor Advocate Lawrence Gcaba told the court the matter was not trial-ready, citing outstanding pre-trial matters and that some parties were no longer available during that period.
He told the court there was an agreement to move the trial date to October.
The defence teams also raised issues around difficulty consulting with the accused at the Ebongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad and asked again for witness statements to be handed over, even calling for the names of the witnesses to be redacted if there was a safety concern.
The judge asked why this was not raised earlier with the court, stressing that the matter must proceed as soon as possible.
A new trial date was set for 5 October to 6 November. The judge warned all parties that she wants regular updates on all matters raised in court.
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