The two brothers accused of killing superstar rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane have arrived back in South Africa following their extradition from the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Siyabonga and Malusi Ndimande, who were arrested in Mbabane in February, were handed over to South African authorities on Tuesday after months of legal proceedings in the neighbouring kingdom.
The brothers arrived at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban on Tuesday morning, in a high-risk operation led by Interpol in South Africa. The Interpol team and tactical members of the South African Police Service led the brothers during their transfer, bringing them into South African custody.
The brothers are expected to appear before the Durban Magistrate’s Court in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday to face multiple charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The Ndimande brothers’ return marks a major development in the ongoing investigation into the high-profile double murder that shocked the country in February 2023. AKA and Motsoane were gunned down outside a restaurant on Durban’s Florida Road in what police describe as a coordinated hit.
The brothers had been fighting extradition for several months before withdrawing their appeal in October, clearing the way for their return. Their legal battle in Eswatini had delayed progress in the case, with local authorities confirming that South Africa’s extradition request was properly lodged and approved under Southern African Development Community protocols.
Earlier on Tuesday, IOL reported that an Interpol team from South Africa had travelled to Eswatini to finalise the handover, working closely with local law enforcement authorities.
Their arrival brings the number of suspects in South Africa’s custody to seven, following earlier arrests of other alleged members of the hit squad in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The police have previously described the Ndimandes as central figures in planning and coordinating the execution.
The brothers are also linked to two other cases in KwaZulu-Natal — the 2022 murder of a taxi boss in Amanzimtoti and the attempted murder of a taxi owner’s wife — both believed to be part of a wider criminal network operating between South Africa and Eswatini.
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