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New state witness to testify in AKA murder trial

Published

A new state witness is expected to testify on Wednesday morning at the Durban High Court, where seven men are on trial. On Tuesday, the defence questioned a police detective about whether CCTV footage could have been tampered with.

The seven accused face charges of murdering musician Kiernan "AKA" Forbes and his friend Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane. Reports said both men were shot and killed outside Wish Restaurant on Florida Road in Durban in February 2023.

On Tuesday, defence lawyer William Nicholson questioned SAPS technical detective Constable Rajen Sanders, a state witness. Nicholson raised concerns that the CCTV footage may have been tampered with.

Sanders rejected this and said the footage is authentic. He said tampering would show on the screen, and that altering footage would change the date, time and whole DVR. Sanders told the court: "I’m going to disagree with you about the authenticity."

Key facts

Who
Tebello Motsoane; William Nicholson (defence lawyer (advocate)); Rajen Sanders (SAPS technical detective constable and state witness)
What
The trial of seven men accused of killing AKA and Tibz is set to hear a new state witness. On Tuesday, the defence questioned SAPS technical detective Constable Rajen Sanders, a state witness, about whether CCTV footage could have been tampered with.
When
28 October 2026
Where
Durban, Florida Road, Durban High Court
Status
Reported

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