While there is a glimmer of hope after the seven suspects who are allegedly linked to the murder of the later rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were caught, there are still lingering concerns about the mastermind behind it all.
Five of the seven suspects appeared at the Durban Magistrate’s Court, where the case was postponed to March 6, 2024, after the State opposed bail.
State prosecutor advocate Lawrence Gcaba explained that the State would need to postpone further inquiries into the matter.
During the court proceedings, the five accused were ordered to uncover their faces after disguising themselves while standing in the dock.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara revealed that the suspects are charged with two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and conspiracy to commit murder.
While it is unclear how long the extradition of two further suspects who were arrested in eSwatini will take, it is explained that the two countries have an extradition agreement to handle cases of this kind through the Southern African Development Community.
The rapper's father, Tony Forbes, and Police Minister Bheki Cele flew to Durban and were present when the court proceedings began.
Addressing the reporters in Durban, Forbes expressed his dissatisfaction that the “true” mastermind was not among those captured.
“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.
Earlier this week, the Times of eSwatini reported on the arrest of two suspects who are reportedly connected to the February 10, 2023, deaths of two well-known South African celebrities.
The publication reported that two SA nationals, identified as Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande (Nxele) and Malusi Dave Ndimande (Mjay), both from Durban, were apprehended by Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) officers while hiding in a flat they rented in Mbabane's Zone 4.
“The Ndimande brothers are said to have gotten R133 000 as their part of the R800 000 total. In their home country, they’re wanted to assist with information about several murder cases, including that of a musician,” the publication stated.
The authorities also verified that the gunmen had planned to kill AKA in his van and that Tibz had been caught in the line of fire.
Senior SAPS officials stressed that they were the ones who contacted Interpol and eSwatini authorities to assist with the suspects' detention.
Saturday Star