Two brothers accused of murdering South African rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend landed at King Shaka International Airport on Tuesday under heavy police guard after their extradition from Eswatini.
Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande and Malusi Dave Ndimande arrived before 10:00, escorted by members of South Africa’s special task force and Interpol officers in what police described as a “high-risk operation.”
The brothers face 24 charges related to three separate murder cases, including 11 charges for the February 2023 killing of Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane outside a restaurant on Durban’s Florida Road.
“We believe that one of the two brothers may have pulled the trigger and shot AKA,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe at the airport.
The Ndimande brothers abandoned their year-long legal battle against extradition in October. They had argued before Eswatini courts that their safety would be at risk if returned to South Africa.
Police charged the brothers upon arrival before transporting them in an armored Nyala vehicle to the Durban Magistrate’s Court for their first appearance.
“We’re quite confident that the evidence we have gathered is enough to ensure a successful conviction,” Mathe said. “We can positively place them at the crime scene.”
The brothers were first arrested in Mbabane in February 2024, becoming the initial suspects detained in the high-profile case. Five other suspects were subsequently arrested in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Police described the Ndimande brothers as “contract killers, professional hitmen and dangerous and callous criminals.”
The brothers also face five charges for the 2022 murder of a taxi boss in Amanzimtoti and additional charges for the attempted murder of a taxi boss’s wife.
Forbes, 35, was one of South Africa’s most successful hip-hop artists. His killing shocked the entertainment industry and sparked nationwide calls for justice.
The trial is scheduled to begin in July 2026, with all seven suspects now in custody.
