Rapper Kierna ‘AKA’ Forbes’ friend and celebrity chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane repeatedly said he could not breathe after gunshots were fired outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban, the Durban High Court heard on Tuesday.
Motsoane and AKA were gunned down on February 10, 2023.
Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi, Lindani Ndimande, Siyanda Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, Lindokuhle Ndimande, Malusi Ndimande and Siyabonga Ndimande face charges 11 charges including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, five counts of attempted murder, and money laundering.
WITNESS RECOUNTS DAY AKA WAS MURDERED
State witness Lusaso Ngcobo, a Durban musician and event organiser, testified on Tuesday and requested that his face not be shown.
Ngcobo told the court that he had known AKA for more than a decade through the music industry and that they were close friends. He also knew Motsoane through the industry.
He testified that on 10 February 2023, he went to the Bryd and Groom hair salon on Florida Road at around 18:30, as he usually did on Fridays. About 15 minutes later, AKA arrived with his entourage. The rapper, who was visiting the establishment for the first time, also had his hair cut.
Ngcobo said they spent time catching up before heading to Wish restaurant for dinner, where they discussed AKA’s plans, including the release of his new album Mass Country which was released posthumously on 24 February 2023.
Motsoane later joined them during the approximately two hours they spent at the restaurant.
Ngcobo testified that the group eventually left Wish through a passage leading outside. He was among those at the front, while AKA and Motsoane were behind him.
Once they reached the pavement, the group said their goodbyes. Ngcobo said he turned towards the passage to return inside after saying goodbye.
He testified that AKA was standing to his right and speaking to Motsoane, and he [AKA] was about an arm’s length away just before the shooting. They planned to meet again later after the performance at Yugo nightclub in Durban.
Ngcobo recalled hearing a loud bang that initially sounded like fireworks.
“Right at that moment I heard a loud bang like fireworks. My first reaction was to duck because I wasn’t sure what was happening. I then saw everyone running and I realised it was unsafe and that maybe the sound couldn’t have been fireworks but a firearm instead,” he testified.
Ngcobo said he ran back towards the restaurant corridor with others. During the commotion, he saw Motsoane trip and fall.
He testified that he went to check on Motsoane before noticing AKA lying on the ground.
“I went to check on Tibz if he was okay and I recall seeing Kiernan lying on the floor I was walking out. I proceeded to check if he was okay because I could see some blood and I wasn’t sure if it was on him or on the floor. I asked him if he was okay, he said I can’t breathe. He kept saying I can’t breathe,” Ngcobo told the court.
“I proceeded to ask him if he was hurt and I could not make sense of the words he was saying. We tried to see where the blood was coming from as we were searching his body we realised he had a wound by his chest underneath his arm,” he added.
They called for assistance and attempted to stop the bleeding using towels while waiting for help to arrive.