AKA Murder Trial Postponed After Accused Falls Asleep During Shooting Footage in Court

Durban’s Regional Court on Thursday morning watched CCTV footage from Florida Road showing the final moments before rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his companion Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were shot dead in February 2023. The footage was played as part of the State’s evidence in the trial of the men accused of their murders.

Forbes, 35, and Motsoane were fatally wounded on 10 February 2023 outside Wish Restaurant on the Berea dining strip, after attending a pre-Valentine’s Day function. Six men were later arrested across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and some were taken into custody only after manhunts that lasted months. Investigators say the killing was a planned hit. Witnesses described it as a very fast attack that lasted less than ninety seconds from approach to departure. The case has drawn national attention, partly because of Forbes’s profile as a musician. The accused are presumed innocent until a court finds otherwise.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Kara said the recordings shown on Thursday form part of the State’s evidence bundle. “The recordings are central to establishing timeline and positioning of all persons of interest,” she told reporters outside the court. Members of the SAPS Organised Crime Investigation Unit declined to comment, saying the prosecution is ongoing and the matter is sensitive.

During the hearing, one of the accused was reportedly seen with his head down, apparently asleep, while the footage played. Officers in the dock woke him, and proceedings continued. His identity has not been made public.

Forbes’s mother, Lynn Forbes, was in the public gallery as the footage was shown. Presiding Magistrate Thandeka Mthembu postponed the matter to give defence lawyers more time to go through the digital exhibits in full. No new date was given in the information provided.

A note for your edit: I left out the descriptions of the court holding its breath, Mrs Forbes’s headscarf and gloves and the closing lines about “who gave the order”, since they are descriptive or opinion touches that can’t be verified. The article also says the accused’s identity is protected, yet it states that “one of the accused” was present on Florida Road that night. You may want to check that wording, and the claim of “six suspects facing premeditated double homicide”, against the charge sheet before publishing. The report also does not say the sleeping man was formally addressed by the magistrate, so I did not say so.

https://x.com/Sowetan1981/status/2114770244069691622

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