The mother of slain rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes has shared a heart-wrenching message as two brothers accused of killing her son were finally extradited from Eswatini to South Africa.
“If you were the one coming home today ... that would be justice for me. Everyone else is just a process. This South African air is suffocating today. I cannot breathe,” Lynn Forbes wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Brothers Siyabonga and Malusi Ndimande were arrested by the Eswatini Royal Police after AKA and his longtime friend, celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, were gunned down outside Wish restaurant on Durban’s Florida Road in February 2023.
The Ndimande brothers have spent months fighting extradition, telling Eswatini’s courts they feared for their lives if returned to South Africa.
Speaking to journalists at King Shaka International Airport on Tuesday, SAPS spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe confirmed that a high-risk Interpol team had been dispatched to the kingdom to bring the brothers home to face justice.
“I can confirm that a high-risk team has left South Africa. They are on their way to the King Mswati International Airport, where they will meet officers from Interpol Eswatini. The handing over will take place between Interpol South Africa, our officers, and Interpol Mbabane,” she said.
“They will then escort the two brothers. Only upon arrival at King Shaka International Airport will our Interpol officers hand them over to the lead investigator, who will then execute a J50 warrant of arrest,” said Mathe.
Mathe said the brothers were wanted in connection with three separate murder cases in South Africa. These include the 2022 murder of a taxi boss in Amanzimtoti, the February 2023 killings of AKA and Tibz and another case involving the murder of a taxi driver and the attempted murder of his wife.
“The lead investigator will execute the J50 warrant of arrest right here at the airport. He will place them under arrest officially in South Africa. He will then process them — take fingerprints, warning statements, and inform them of the reasons for their arrest and the charges they face,” said Mathe.
The suspects are expected to make their first court appearance soon after their arrival in South Africa.
Speaking to eNCA, AKA’s father Tony Forbes said while it has been a long and emotional journey, he feels a sense of relief that justice is finally taking shape.
“Excitement is probably not the right word, but I’m pleased that we’ve arrived at this day. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I feel satisfied now that when the trial starts, all seven will be on trial — well, I hope all seven will be on trial together. In particular, the brother who pulled the trigger,” said Forbes.
He said that although it had been a long time coming, the NPA always kept him abreast on what has been happening in the case.
“It’s taken a long time, but the investigating team, along with the NPA, has kept me abreast over the past two-and-a-half years. When they called to say they had arrested the two brothers in Eswatini, they told me it would be a complicated process. It’s taken time, but today it’s happening, and I’m very pleased with that,” he said.
The Ndimande brothers were traced to Eswatini and became the first of seven suspects arrested in connection with the high-profile murders.
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