A businessman, affiliated with a prominent South African family, has been implicated in the homicide of the well-known rapper AKA, also known as Kiernan Forbes, and his close associate, Tibz Motsoane, who were fatally shot outside a restaurant in Durban on February 10th of the previous year. According to a statement presented to the court by the investigating officer, a company owned by businessman Sydney Mfundo Gcaba purportedly transferred over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of one of the suspects currently on trial for the rapper’s killing, allegedly within a day after the incident.
The prosecution, citing telephone records, additionally alleged that the suspect who received the funds, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, purportedly made a call to Mr. Gcaba before the transaction was finalized. Mr. Gcaba has refrained from commenting on the prosecutor’s statement. The prosecution contends that the funds were subsequently evenly divided among the seven suspects.
In an affidavit, Mr. Gwabeni claimed to have received the payment for consultation services rendered to the company. However, the prosecution countered, asserting that there is insufficient evidence demonstrating Mr. Gwabeni’s provision of any such services to justify the payment.
Mr. Gcaba, a member of the influential Gcaba family renowned for its taxi business and other enterprises in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province and across South Africa, has not had a motive for his purported involvement in AKA’s murder established at this time.
