Ongoing

  1. ElectionsHot
  2. US mid-termsHeating up
  3. AICooling
NewsbriefSouth Africa, briefly.
JoburgJHB29°69%
CTCT21°90%
PretoriaPTA33°75%
DurbanDBN30°20°

Detective names AKA murder accused as man seen on airport CCTV

Published

Sgt Rajen Sanders of the KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit told the Durban High Court that Muziwethemba Gwabeni, accused number four, is the man in CCTV footage following AKA from King Shaka International Airport to his hotel. Seven accused have pleaded not guilty.

Sanders said the footage shows Gwabeni, aged 36, trailing the rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes on the day of the murders. Forbes and chef Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane were shot in February 2023. Gwabeni's lawyer, William Nicholson, objected to Sanders identifying his client in court.

The seven accused face charges that include murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm. All of them pleaded not guilty. Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi is hearing the trial, which continues.

The court also heard evidence about vehicles. Imraan Khan said in an affidavit that Gwabeni leased a BMW from him. Sonwabile Bani confirmed in testimony that vehicles Gwabeni leased belonged to him.

Key facts

Who
Rajen Sanders (KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit technical detective Sgt, witness); Muziwethemba Gwabeni (accused number four, aged 36, allegedly followed AKA); Tebello Motsoane (chef, known as Tibz, murder victim); Imraan Khan (man from whom Gwabeni allegedly leased a BMW, testified via affidavit)
What
Sgt Rajen Sanders told the Durban high court that CCTV footage shows Gwabeni trailing AKA from King Shaka International Airport to his hotel hours before AKA and Tebello Motsoane were shot in February 2023. Seven accused pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and attempted murder; the trial continues.
When
22 October 2026
Where
Durban, King Shaka International Airport, Florida Road
Status
Reported

Related stories

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections is under way at 23,696 stations, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a smooth start on 4 November. Stations opened at 7am and close at 9pm, and by 10am preliminary figures showed 3,523,691 voters had cast ballots.

There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe told members not to query the results or discredit the IEC, while the IEC said false online claims show routine procedures as fraud.

  1. BOSA's Solomons flags one-ballot problem at Cape Town voting stations
  2. Mashatile urges new councillors to put voters first
  3. IEC dismisses MK Party worry about dead people on voters' roll

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the midterm elections held on 3 November, according to media projections. Exit polls showed voters were angry about high prices and the direction of the country, and rebuked President Donald Trump.

Before the vote, US forces struck targets on Qeshm Island in Iran, while Republicans struggled to defend the war against Iran on the campaign trail. Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war, and Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, as analysts pointed to fears of gridlock in Washington.

  1. Iran welcomes Democratic wins in US midterm elections
  2. Democrats win US Congress in midterm vote, projections show
  3. Ramaphosa wants US trade deal after AGOA suspension

See every update

AI Cooling

What you need to know

Nvidia has told its cloud computing clients to sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic said it has committed to spend close to $900bn on AI infrastructure, and that its computing costs are rising faster than its revenues.

Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

  1. Accenture faces accusations over AI report with false citations
  2. CrowdStrike to buy two AI security startups
  3. Google lets schools turn off AI tools but limits Search

See every update