The murder trial of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane continued in the Durban high court on Tuesday, with bankers detailing a controversial payment of R822,000 allegedly made by Durban taxi boss Mfundo Gcaba to murder accused Mziwethemba Gwabeni. The payment was made on February 11, 2023, a day after AKA and Tibz were gunned down outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban.
The R822,000 payment was transferred to Gwabeni's account, and soon after, he transferred R803,000 into one of his other accounts. He then moved R133,000 to the six others accused in the trial. The accused, who pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder, and illegal possession of firearms, received the money within two hours, between 6 pm and 8 pm, with the reference “dividends”.
The state called two witnesses, one from Capitec and the other from FNB, who painted a picture of how the money was split among the seven accused. The court heard evidence that accused number one, Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, transferred R33,000 to his wife Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi on February 11, soon after he received money from Gwabeni. Capitec forensic investigator Ashley Soomaroo confirmed that Mkhwanazi and the three Ndimandes had active accounts with the bank.
Soomaroo presented bank statements for the four accused who bank with Capitec, which confirmed that they each received R133,000, though some received it in tranches. The court also heard that this was the highest amount of money the accused had received since opening their bank accounts. The accused transferred the money into their other accounts shortly after being paid by Gwabeni.
Another witness, Ashley Wilson from FNB, confirmed the R822,000 payment made to Gwabeni on February 11, 2023. Wilson said Gwabeni then transferred R803,000 into his other account before making transfers to other banks. Gwabeni used different references when making payments to the accused, such as “taxi loan”, “car repair”, or “six-months salary”.
During cross-examination of Soomaroo, the defence cited some discrepancies in the Capitec bank statements, which the witness confirmed. There were mistakes, such as some accounts being shown as opened on February 11, 2023, when in fact they were opened long before. The court also heard that Gwabeni transacted at King Shaka International Airport and at the uMlazi Shell HD garage using a virtual card on February 10 and 11, respectively.
The matter was stood down to Thursday for the defence to cross-examine Wilson. The accused, Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, 35, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, 23, Gwabeni, 36, Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Ndimande, 29, Malusi Dave Ndimande, 30, and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande, 31, will continue their trial.
Key points
- The R822,000 payment was made by Durban taxi boss Mfundo Gcaba to murder accused Mziwethemba Gwabeni on February 11, 2023.
- The money was split among the seven accused, with each receiving R133,000.
- The defence cited discrepancies in the Capitec bank statements during cross-examination.
