CCTV footage challenges accused’s account of presence at Wish restaurant

NewsSportLifestyleEntertainmentOpinionNewsCCTV footage challenges accused’s account of presence at Wish restaurantNomonde Zondi|Published 40 minutes agoCopy to ClipboardAsk AI Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande who is the alleged spotter in the murder of AKA and Tibz. The State alleges that he was at Wish restaurant on the fateful night.

Although Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande has always maintained that it was a coincidence that he was at Wish on Florida the night that rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and celebrity Chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane were gunned down, his movements shown through video footage in court say otherwise. 

On Friday, the State, led by deputy director of public prosecutions advocate Lawrence Gcaba, continued presenting CCTV footage from Wish, where AKA and Tibz spent their final hours together.

Constable Rajen Saunders, attached to the provincial organised crime unit, took the Durban High Court through footage showing Ndimande’s movements in the moments leading up to the fatal shooting.

Saunders, who began extracting footage on February 11, 2023, a day after the killings, showed the court a grey Volkswagen Polo arriving on Florida Road shortly after 9pm. The vehicle, in which Ndimande was a passenger, parked near the entrances to Wish and AuthentiQ Bar & Restaurant.

Ndimande is seen getting out of the vehicle and walking past the table where Tibz was having his final meal at AuthentiQ, before later joining AKA at Wish.

The footage shows the man entering AuthentiQ before going to Wish. At times, he returns to the vehicle. Although his identity is not clearly discernible in the early stages of the footage, Saunders repeatedly described him as a man wearing a white T-shirt, shorts and a black bucket hat.

Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande and Malusi Ndimande who are on trial for murder of AKA and Tibz

However, when the man enters Wish and is escorted to a table by a waitress, his face becomes clearer, allowing him to be identified as Ndimande.

Before being shown to his seat, Ndimande is seen walking towards a passage leading into the restaurant. He has a cellphone in his left hand and appears to touch it before placing it against his ear.

When he reaches the reception area, he stands and looks towards the section where AKA and his entourage are seated, at the upper end of the restaurant.

Ndimande is then seen leaving the reception area while on the phone before returning and being escorted to his table. The waitress initially seats him in the lower section of the restaurant, but as she leaves, he moves to the table in front of where he was placed.

According to Saunders, Ndimande had a direct view of Forbes’s table from where he was sitting. The footage shows him drinking and eating at the restaurant.

“Did he ever stand up?” Gcaba asked Saunders.

From left Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande and brothers Malusi Dave and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande. They are all on trial for AKA and Tibz

The footage then advances to 10.22pm, when people inside the restaurant are seen running towards the restrooms. Saunders identified this as the time of the shooting. The footage shows apparent panic inside the restaurant as people rush towards the back.

Ndimande stands up and looks in the direction from which the people are running. He speaks to a few people, takes a sip of his drink and picks up his cellphone, appearing to make a call.

While on the phone, he speaks to a passing waitress. Shortly afterwards, she returns with a card machine and hands it to him. She appears to present it to him again before they part ways, with Ndimande taking another sip of his drink.

During Ndimande’s bail application investigating officer Warrant Officer Kumarasan “Bob” Pillay, said Ndimande acted as a spotter for his co-accused: Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, and brothers Malusi Dave and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande.