The AKA suspects in Eswatini have voiced fears over their safety, according to court proceedings.
AKA murder suspects in Eswatini flag safety concerns
The legal battle surrounding the extradition of two brothers linked to the high-profile murder of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane took a new twist at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court, on Tuesday.
Arrested on Saturday, 24 February 2024, the suspects informed the court they were not opposed to being extradited to South Africa—provided their safety concerns were adequately addressed.
State prosecutors submitted four cellphones found in the house the duo rented, which authorities believed were used to plan and execute the vicious murders of AKA and his former manager, Tibz, on Friday, 10 February 2023.
Their lawyer emphasised the importance of ensuring the brothers’ safety, pointing out that discussions about their extradition should proceed once the South African state furnishes a comprehensive application detailing how they will be handed over and the subsequent processes.
Concerns over the suspects’ safety emerge amid raucous murmurs of a true mastermind who’s yet to be apprehended.
This speculation garnered credence when, following the inaugural appearance of five suspects linked to the rapper’s assassination in Durban last week, Tony Forbes told reporters that the provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, may have been misunderstood when he alluded to the fact that one of the suspects in custody was the ‘true mastermind’ behind the assassination.
“I think he was referring to the coordinator. The coordinator, if I understand things correctly, received a sum of money and shared it with six other people. Where did that money come from?” AKA’s father asked.
Already, Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi revealed at a media briefing earlier this week that the investigation into AKA and Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane had yielded a large collection of incriminating evidence, dating as far back as April 2023, when the first suspect was arrested in Cape Town for an unrelated matter.
KZN’s top cop confirmed that a financial paper trail linking several suspects to AKA’s murder plot was crucial in the arrest of the seven suspects. However, Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi was careful to not explicitly make mention of any developments concerning a ‘bigger fish’ in the murder plot.
During Tuesday’s court session in Manzini, it was revealed that the South African government has indeed requested the extradition of the suspects.
However, an official application fulfilling the necessary legal requirements is still pending.
Macebo Nxumalo, the state prosecutor, underlined the urgency of the situation and requested a postponement until Tuesday, 12 March 2024 to allow for further investigation and the preparation of a detailed extradition request.
