DURBAN - The AKA and Tibz murder case has finally reached the High Court, more than two years after their assassinations in Durban.
It took police just over a year to announce progress in the investigation of the assassinations on Durban’s Florida Road in 2023.
Rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and celebrity chef, Tebello Motsoane died on the pavement, moments after sharing a friendly embrace.
Five of the seven accused in this murder trial are expected in the dock, for a pre-trial conference.
In 2024 five of the suspects spent almost three months fighting for bail. Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi, Lindani Ndimande, Eddie Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni and Lindokuhle Ndimande were unsuccessful.
Gwabeni and Lindokuhle Ndimande tried again in January this year – but magistrate Vincent Hlatshwayo shot down their attempts, saying there were no new facts. This came after a failed High Court bid in 2024.
The bail applications provided insight into the state’s case, as it laid out its version of events.
The state has a CCTV footage that is said to show how AKA was followed from the airport, to a hotel and ultimately, to the restaurant where he drew his last breaths.
The first high court session is expected to be the pre-trial hearing, and a legal expert believes it could still be some time before formal proceedings get going.
eNCA senior reporter Dasen Thathiah takes a looks at how the matter has unfolded since 2023.