AKA’s road manager, Siyabonga Mdluli, has recounted the moments when gunfire erupted outside a Durban restaurant in February 2023. The court has also heard differing witness accounts about the whereabouts of the rapper’s bodyguard during and after the shooting
The road manager of South African rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes has recounted the moments surrounding the fatal shooting of the rapper and his friend, Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, as the murder trial continued in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Wednesday.
Siyabonga Mdluli, who was with the group on the night of the killings, testified that he was running alongside Motsoane when gunshots rang out outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road on 10 February 2023.
Mdluli told the court that he heard a loud sound resembling a gunshot, followed by what he estimated to be three or more shots. He said he saw sparks to his right before the group moved towards the restaurant for cover.
As he ran, Mdluli noticed Motsoane fall and realised that his friend had been shot.
He then looked for Forbes, initially believing the rapper had managed to get inside the restaurant. When he looked outside, however, he saw Forbes lying on the ground.
Mdluli testified that he went back inside and repeatedly attempted to contact the police and emergency services. He said it took about 10 minutes to get through to the police, who arrived about 15 minutes later.
He also told the court that he and the group were escorted to a friend’s residence at Sibaya while waiting for their flights because they feared the attackers might be targeting them.
The whereabouts of AKA’s bodyguard during the shooting also featured in Wednesday’s proceedings. Asked by state advocate Elvis Gcweka where the bodyguard had been, Mdluli said he did not know and had last seen him before the shooting.
The testimony follows that of club promoter Simphiwe Ngidi on Tuesday, who said he found the bodyguard inside the restaurant after the gunfire. Ngidi testified that the group began looking for Forbes after checking whether anyone had been injured.
DJ Tshediso Mokoko, popularly known as Don Design, gave a different account, telling the court that he did not see the bodyguard when he ran inside after the shooting.
AKA’s manager, Tshiamo Letshwene, also testified that the rapper’s regular bodyguard, Anwar Khan, was unavailable on the day of the shooting and that another security provider had been arranged.
The differing accounts, on their own, do not establish wrongdoing by the bodyguard.
AKA’s photographer, Thotloesto Kutlwano Mogotsi, known as TK, also testified on Wednesday. He confirmed that Motsoane had initially been at a neighbouring restaurant before joining the group at Wish. Mogotsi described hearing a loud bang during the attack and experiencing a sensation of heat on the left side of his body.