Five of seven suspects charged with AKA, Tibz murders to make first court appearance
South Africans will get to see five of the suspects charged with their murderers when they make their appearance at the Durban Magistrates court Thursday after being arrested this week.
FILE: Fans fashion a shrine for Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes and Tebello 'Tibz' Motsoane where they were shot and killed on Florida Road, Durban 10 February 2023. Picture: Nhlanhla Mabaso/Eyewitness News
DURBAN - Five of the seven suspects arrested in connection with the murders of rapper Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA, and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane will make their first court appearance in the Durban Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.
Police revealed the arrests this week following a year-long investigation.
AKA and Tibz were shot and killed while leaving a restaurant on Durban's Florida Road in February 2023, but police noted that Tibz was not a target for the gunmen.
While a total of seven suspects were arrested in connection with the crime, only five will be appearing in court.
The sixth and seventh suspects are yet to be brought to South Africa after they were handcuffed in Eswatini.
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Police said the group consisted of spotters, shooters and the alleged mastermind who provided resources, including getaway vehicles and payments for committing the murders.
They added that they worked with the National Prosecuting Authority to present a watertight case against the suspects linked to the double murder.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said that the suspects were linked to a slew of other murder cases.
“We are quite encouraged with the manner in which our team has also handled this case, it was quite complex, and we really limited all communication and ensuring that we are tightlipped for the sole purpose of ensuring the integrity of this investigation.”
Meanwhile, the Forbes family has confirmed that they will attend court proceedings on Thursday.