Surveillance footage played in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Monday shows a man resembling one of the accused murder suspects following South African rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his crew through King Shaka International Airport on the day of the fatal 2023 shooting.
Seven men stand accused of the murders of Forbes and celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban in February 2023: Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande, Malusi Dave, and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande. All have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder, and illegal firearm possession. The courtroom proceedings on Monday placed airport surveillance under intense scrutiny as prosecutors presented video evidence from the day Forbes and celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were gunned down.
Airport Surveillance Presented in Durban Court
Surveillance analyst Sandile Khuzwayo, who has worked at the airport for over 15 years, took the stand to present the footage. The video depicts an adult male following Forbes as he walked toward the Europcar rental counter. While the State did not formally identify the individual on the record during the analyst’s testimony, prosecutors previously stated during bail proceedings that the footage shows fourth accused Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni tailing the entourage.
Defence counsel William Nicholson SC pushed back hard against the presentation of the video, arguing that the individual could not be definitively identified from the recordings and questioning the witness’s capacity to make such an identification. Nicholson also challenged Khuzwayo on whether the state had properly subpoenaed the airport, suggesting that testifying breached company policy. Khuzwayo maintained that he was simply an employee.
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Sandile Khuzwayo, surveillance analyst
Khuzwayo explained to the court that strict software and copyright restrictions prevent the airport’s surveillance system from downloading or playing footage on external devices. As the video played in court, the accused who allegedly appears in the video watched attentively and took notes.
Ballistics Evidence Links Firearms Across Cases
Kader testified that one of the firearms used in the 2023 killings of Forbes and Motsoane was previously used to kill Durban taxi boss Sibongiseni “Gift” Khanyile in Mayville in 2022. The trial also heard detailed testimony from ballistics expert Ruwain Kader, who connected the weaponry used in the Florida Road shooting to a separate murder case. Thirty-five cartridges were recovered at Khanyile’s murder scene, where four different firearms were discharged.
Six cartridges were recovered from the scene where Forbes and Motsoane died. Kader told the court that two of those cartridges matched a firearm recovered from accused number three, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, though that specific weapon showed no connection to the Mayville taxi boss’s slaying. The remaining four cartridges linked to the rapper’s death are believed to have originated from two unknown guns also fired during the Khanyile murder. Defence advocate Simphiwe Mlotshwa noted that Myeza disputes that a firearm was recovered from his person during his arrest, maintaining it was discovered inside a room where he sat alongside six other men.
Witnesses Testify About Missing Security Personnel
Siyabonga Mdluli, the rapper’s road manager, testified previously that he did not know the whereabouts of AKA’s bodyguard during the shooting, having last seen him prior to the gunfire. The ongoing proceedings have repeatedly returned to the chaotic moments outside Wish restaurant and the puzzling absence of key security personnel. Testimony from other associates revealed that the rapper’s regular bodyguard, Anwar Khan, was unavailable that day, prompting arrangements for a substitute security provider.
Sweltering temperatures and broken air-conditioning units inside the Durban High Court forced a temporary adjournment earlier in the week after both prosecutors and defense attorneys told Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi that conditions had become unbearable for court personnel and the accused alike.
