MZIWETHEMBA GWABINI IDENTIFIED IN AIRPORT CCTV FOOTAGE IN THE AKA AND TIBZ MURDER TRIAL
Mziwethemba Gwabini, accused number four in the ongoing AKA and Tibz murder trial, has been identified in court as the man seen following rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes at King Shaka International Airport on the day he was killed.
SAPS technical detective Rajan Sander made the identification during proceedings at the Durban High Court today, Thursday.
The development follows testimony earlier this week by airport surveillance analyst Sandile Khuzwayo, who presented CCTV footage showing a man following Forbes and his entourage through the airport terminal towards the car rental area after the rapper arrived from Johannesburg on 10 February 2023.
The State had previously indicated that another witness would identify the individual captured in the footage. During earlier bail proceedings, prosecutors alleged that the footage placed Gwabini at the airport as he followed Forbes. However, Gwabini’s defence has challenged the reliability of the identification and the CCTV evidence.
The State has also presented cellphone records, parking payment records and vehicle-tracking evidence as part of its case.
This includes evidence relating to a grey BMW allegedly linked to Gwabini, which was reportedly seen following Forbes’s vehicle from the airport towards the Hilton Hotel in Umhlanga and later towards Florida Road. A grey Volkswagen Polo, whose registration plates reportedly match those of a vehicle leased to Gwabini, was also allegedly observed near the hotel.
Gwabini has previously been described by the State as a Durban businessman with interests in the private security and taxi industries.
He is one of seven men standing trial for the murders of Forbes and his friend, businessman and chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.
The pair were shot dead outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban on the night of 10 February 2023.
All seven accused have pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and firearm-related offences.
The trial continues.
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