Five suspects linked to the shooting death of popular South African rapper AKA made their first court appearance on Thursday. The deceased rapper, whose real name is Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tebello “Tibz” Motshoane, were gunned down outside a restaurant in the city of Durban on February 10, 2023.
The gunmen and other suspects linked to their murder remained at large until the arrests were recently made. Per BBC, seven men have so far been arrested in connection with their murder, and the remaining two suspects will be added to the case at a later date.
The five suspects, who covered their faces and did not look up as they stood on the dock, will appear before the court again next week. The charges brought against them include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The deceased rapper’s father, Tony Forbes, was at the court to witness the proceedings. “I want to look them in the eye,” he told eNCA. “I hope this is the start of a phase where we learn who did this, who commissioned this and the appropriate punishment is given.”
Forbes also touched on the five men trying to hide their identities when they appeared before the court, saying that “we should be able to see who they are.” The court ultimately ordered the suspects to take off their face coverings.
During the proceedings, the state also requested for the case to be postponed to allow them more time for investigation. Authorities also said the case being delayed stemmed from their intention to add the two other suspects to it, BBC reported. The two suspects were arrested in Eswatini.
The prosecutor told the court that arrangements are being made to extradite the two suspects, though that process could take months to complete.
