Ballistics expert links firearm to AKA and Tibz murder scene

Ask AI 2minSlain South African rapper Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes and his friend Chef Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane, who were killed on Florida road in February 2023. Seven men are on trial for their murders.

A firearm recovered from murder accused Siyanda Eddie Myeza at the time of his arrest fired the cartridges found at the spot where rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane were shot dead, a ballistics expert told the Durban High Court on Monday.

According to a Sunday Tribune report, Warrant Officer Ruwain Kader, who works in the ballistics section of the Forensic Science Laboratory, revealed his findings during the proceedings, indicating that two of the six cartridges recovered from Florida Road matched the weapon seized from Myeza when the Tactical Response Team detained him in Umlazi, approximately two months after the killings.

Kader went on to specify that bullet fragments taken from AKA’s body were also matched to the same firearm, further solidifying the evidence against Myeza.

The shooting incident occurred outside Wish Restaurant on Florida Road on the evening of February 10, 2023, and resulted in the untimely deaths of both Forbes and Motsoane.

Myeza is currently on trial alongside co-accused Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, Lindokuhle Lindo Ndimande, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, and brothers Siyabonga and Melusi Ndimande. Each of these individuals faces serious charges in connection with this high-profile double murder case.

During his testimony, Kader explained that he examined two distinct groups of cartridge cases recovered from the Florida Road scene—one containing four cartridges and the other two. Notably, only the pair was linked to the firearm found on Myeza. However, Kader was careful to clarify that a bullet recovered from Motsoane’s body did not originate from that specific pistol.

Myeza is already facing six counts from a separate incident on the Jan Smuts Highway in Mayville in May 2022, where he allegedly conspired to kill, shot dead two men, attempted to kill two more, and stole a white Toyota Etios. While those charges were initially joined with the counts related to AKA and Tibz’s murders due to overlapping evidence, they have since been categorised separately.

As the trial unfolds, prosecutors have indicated that they intend to trace the origin of the murder weapon through Myeza’s arrest. Kader’s role has been crucial in this investigation, as he test-fired the pistol seized from Myeza and compared the resulting cartridge cases against those recovered from both the Mayville and Florida Road scenes.

In his testimony, Kader disclosed an additional link, stating that cartridge cases from the Mayville shooting corresponded with some found at the Florida Road scene. “Four guns were used in the Mayville incident,” Kader noted. “Two were identified under that case number and two were unknown. Cartridge cases from one of the unknown guns were linked to the Berea case, and those are the set of four.”

The trial is set to continue as more evidence and testimony are presented.