Nomonde Zondi|Published
A man who drove Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his entourage on the day the rapper was shot dead has told the Durban High Court that he initially thought the shooting was a prank after hearing a loud bang and seeing sparks outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road.
Simphiwe Ngidi, who fetched AKA and his entourage from King Shaka International Airport on February 10, 2023 said he drove them around Durban. He testified that he was confused when the shooting started, he said he closed his eyes and covered his head before someone pushed him towards the restaurant passage for cover.
Ngidi told the court that as they left Wish restaurant, he heard a loud bang and initially thought it was fireworks or a prank.
“During that interaction I had a loud bang I thought it was fireworks because I remember seeing sparks. In my head I thought it was a prank. My hands were on my head and I closed my eyes. I remember hearing someone saying there is a gun,” Ngidi testified.
On Monday afternoon, Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi amended her order to allow the media to identify witnesses, unless an application to protect their identities is brought before the court.
Ngidi said the sparks were about one or two metres away from him. When someone pushed him back towards the restaurant, he initially stood near a door at Kauai. However, he realised that he would be exposed to the shooter if he remained there, prompting him to run back inside Wish.
He also explained that AKA’s friend, chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, had initially been at Authentic restaurant in Florida before joining the group at Wish after learning that his friends were there.
Asked by senior State advocate Elvis Gcweka where Tibz was when the loud bang rang out, Ngidi said he had not seen either Tibz or AKA during the shooting.
“It was so quick and fast when that thing happened. I couldn’t see where everyone was, we were just confused,” he said.
Ngidi testified that he and others ran back inside Wish, where they took cover near a staircase on the right-hand side. They checked themselves for injuries and, after establishing that no one in their group had been harmed, someone from AKA’s entourage asked where the rapper was.
“Where was the bodyguard during all this commotion?” Gcweka asked.
“When we were checking ourselves in that corner the bodyguard was with us. That’s when the question came of where Kiernan was,” Ngidi replied.
He said they then returned to the outside area of the restaurant, where they saw AKA lying on the ground and Tibz wounded.
Ngidi testified that Tibz was crawling through the passage leading to and from Wish, crawling and trying to move away from the scene.
“He was trying to move away from the incident and there was blood coming out of Kiernan’s body and that’s when we came to realise that he might have died,” Ngidi said.
Seven men Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, Siyanda Eddie Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, Lindokuhle Mhlaliseni Mkhwanazi, Malusi Dave Ndimande and Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande are on trial for the murders.
The trial continues.
nomonde.zondi@iol.co.za