CCTV links accused to bar and restaurant AKA visited before fatal shooting
Video footage played in the Durban high court murder trial of musician Kiernan “AKA” Forbes has shown a man resembling one of seven accused at two establishments the rapper visited hours before he was shot dead.
The footage screened on Thursday afternoon shows the man leaving a VW Polo and entering AuthentiQ bar and restaurant in Florida, where AKA was seated with friends.
He is later seen leaving AuthentiQ, returning to the vehicle, then walking to Wish restaurant before returning to the Polo again.
While seated in the car, the man is seen with a sling bag, often used by gunmen.
Earlier, KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit technical detective Sgt Rajen Sanders identified accused number four, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, as the man who allegedly followed rapper AKA from the airport to his hotel on the day he was murdered.
Sanders told the Durban high court on Thursday that Gwabeni was the man seen in video footage at King Shaka International Airport, following AKA.
This was hours before AKA and his celebrity friend, chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, were gunned down outside the now-defunct Wish restaurant on Florida Road in February 2023.
Gwabeni, 36, Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, 35, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, 23, Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande, 29, Malusi Dave, 30, and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande, 31, pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
The second suspect who tailed AKA to the two establishments, is yet to be formally identified.
Sanders, who is an expert in CCTV and video surveillance, is giving evidence involving 17 pieces of footage collected to firm up the state’s case against the seven accused.
The court was shown CCTV footage in which Gwabeni, wearing a black and white jacket, is seen following Forbes at the airport. He was also seen driving a BMW allegedly leased from Imraan Khan, who testified via affidavit.
Further CCTV footage shows the BMW following AKA’s vehicle at the Sanral tollgate near King Shaka International Airport.
Sanders testified that after reviewing the footage with investigating officer W/O Kumarasan Pillay, they concluded the person in the video is Gwabeni.
The state also played footage showing vehicles leased by Gwabeni from Sonwabile Bani — a grey VW Polo and a white Hyundai Grand i10.
The cars were seen passing the Hilton Hotel in Umhlanga, where AKA and his crew were booked.
Bani confirmed in his testimony that the vehicles belong to him.
Gwabeni’s lawyer, Adv William Nicholson, objected to Sanders identifying his client, but judge Nomfundo Sipunzi ruled that the witness could proceed.
The court previously heard evidence that Gwabeni bought a BMW and later sold it to a mechanic who had been repairing it, to defray costs after he failed to pay for the repairs.
In earlier evidence, the state revealed that Gwabeni received R800,000 shortly after AKA was killed.