Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the high-profile murder case of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Jarryd Forbes and his close friend and celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, the police have confirmed.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola hosted a press briefing on Tuesday evening at the SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial offices, where Cele confirmed that six suspects were in custody and that they were expected to appear in court on Thursday.
AKA was the main target
According to the minister, Forbes was the main target of the alleged hit.
This comes after a report on Monday by the Times of eSwatini on the arrest of two suspects allegedly linked to the execution-style killings of AKA and Tibz outside Durban’s Wish restaurant on 10 February 2023.
“The two South African nationals, aged 28 and 29, are brothers from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. In their home country, they’re wanted to assist with information about several murder cases, including that of a musician,” the publication stated.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lt-Genl Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, however, refuted claims that the suspects who were apprehended on Friday, 23 February in the Kingdom of Eswatini, were linked to the AKA murder investigation.
According to him, the suspects are scheduled to be extradited to South Africa in order to face charges of attempted murder and murder in relation to an incident that occurred on March 6, 2023, in Berea, when a man was shot and killed while riding in a vehicle.
Six suspects in custody
In the latest update, Mkhwanazi said the mastermind or co-ordinator of the crime, two shooters, two spotters (one inside and another outside) observing the Mass Country rapper, and the organiser of firearms and vehicles used were in police custody, four in South Africa already.
“The organiser initially followed Mr Forbes from the airport on arrival all the way to the hotel as well as to the restaurant where the incident happened. This person was also responsible for gathering resources together, the whole team together, and the rewards that came thereafter,” the provincial commissioner said.
“The second suspect in custody is the person who supplied the vehicles and firearms, and that person was also linked to two other murder cases. The third one is a shooter who was linked to another murder case. We have another spotter who was just outside the restaurant, who is also linked to another case, and another spotter who was outside Wish, who is linked to two other murder cases, and we have the shooter, as a sixth person, who is linked to another murder case.”