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AKA and Tibz murder trial: State focuses on alleged murder weapon as key evidence unfolds
The murder trial of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his close friend, celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, has moved into its evidence phase at the Durban High Court, with the State focusing on the alleged firearm used in the February 2023 killings.
The trial began on 5 October 2026, more than three years after Forbes and Motsoane were shot outside a restaurant on Durban’s Florida Road. Seven men are standing trial on charges relating to the killings. All have pleaded not guilty.
The current trial session is scheduled to continue until 6 November, with about 45 witnesses expected to testify. Further trial dates are expected to be arranged.
State’s case begins with firearm evidence
The first major evidence presented by the State concerns the alleged murder weapon.
A retired police officer, whose identity cannot be published, has testified about a separate shooting at a BP garage on Jan Smuts Highway in Mayville, Durban, in May 2022.
The court heard that 30 spent 9mm cartridges were recovered from that scene.
Police also recovered a white Toyota Etios a short distance away. Blood stains and fingerprints were allegedly collected from the vehicle, together with other exhibits.
The significance of this evidence is the State’s allegation that the firearm used during that 2022 shooting was subsequently linked through ballistic evidence to the February 2023 murders of AKA and Tibz.
State prosecutor Lawrence Gcaba told the court that the prosecution would lead evidence establishing the origins of the firearm.
“We will be leading evidence to show the originality of this firearm,” Gcaba said, explaining that the evidence would form part of the State’s case on the firearm charge and that further ballistic evidence would follow.
Mayville shooting separated from main trial
The firearm evidence has also been at the centre of an important procedural development.
One of the seven accused faces additional charges arising from the May 2022 shooting. Six of the accused applied for those matters to be separated from the main AKA and Tibz case.
The State opposed the separation, arguing that the cases had been connected because of evidence indicating that the same firearm was used in the separate incidents.
Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi nevertheless granted the application on 6 October.
The May 2022 charges will therefore be dealt with separately, while the main trial continues in relation to the charges arising from the deaths of Forbes and Motsoane. The judge said her reasons would be provided in the full judgment.
Importantly, although the Mayville matter is proceeding separately, evidence about the earlier shooting has now emerged during the main trial because of the alleged ballistic connection.
Court lifts restrictions on reporting evidence
There was also a significant change concerning media coverage of the proceedings.
At the beginning of the trial, Judge Sipunzi restricted journalists from publishing or broadcasting witness testimony as it was being given.
The restriction was subsequently amended on Wednesday, 7 October, allowing accredited media to report and broadcast witness evidence and exhibits admitted into the trial.
However, witnesses’ identities and personal details remain protected.
The change means the public can now receive more detailed reporting on the evidence being presented, although journalists must continue to comply with the court’s restrictions.
What the State still has to prove
The firearm evidence is only one part of the prosecution’s case.
The State ultimately has to establish beyond reasonable doubt how the alleged murder was planned, who was involved and what role each accused allegedly played in the killings.
The prosecution is expected to rely on a combination of forensic, ballistic, investigative and other evidence as witnesses are called.
The fact that a firearm may have been linked to multiple crimes does not, by itself, establish the guilt of any particular accused. Each allegation must be proved against the relevant individual in court.
The Florida Road killings
AKA and Tibz were shot on 10 February 2023 after leaving a restaurant on Florida Road in Durban.
Their deaths sparked widespread public shock and generated intense speculation about the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The investigation subsequently expanded beyond the immediate crime scene, with police examining alleged links between the killings and other violent incidents in KwaZulu-Natal.
The current trial is the culmination of that investigation.
Three years before the trial
The case has taken more than three years to reach trial.
A major factor was the prosecution of suspects who were outside South Africa, including two brothers who were extradited from Eswatini in 2025.
By June 2026, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that all seven accused were in custody and that the Durban High Court had set the trial down from 5 October to 6 November 2026.
The case had also gone through extensive pre-trial proceedings before all seven eventually appeared together in the High Court.
Families watch as evidence unfolds
The proceedings have drawn the families of both Forbes and Motsoane to court.
AKA’s mother, Lynn Forbes, and Tibz’s father, Sylvester Motsoane, have been among those attending proceedings as the State begins presenting its case.
For the families, the trial represents the formal examination of what happened on Florida Road on the night their loved ones were killed.
For the State, the immediate challenge is to turn years of investigation into admissible evidence capable of proving its case beyond reasonable doubt.
What happens next
The State is expected to continue calling witnesses, with ballistic and forensic evidence likely to remain an important part of the proceedings.
The prosecution has already signalled that the firearm evidence will involve more than the testimony heard so far. Further evidence is expected to explain how the weapon was allegedly traced and how ballistic analysis connects it to the Florida Road killings.
The trial continues in the Durban High Court, with the next phase expected to provide a clearer picture of the State’s case and the alleged chain of events leading to the deaths of AKA and Tibz.
Economy
The Scorpion Kings’ burgers are all sold out, but the Scorpion Kings Live are back tonight on SABC 1
Before DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small were filling FNB Stadium with Amapiano, there was the hustle – and for Maphorisa, part of that hustle involved food.
Long before the Scorpion Kings name became synonymous with some of South Africa’s biggest musical moments, Maphorisa was finding different ways to make money while pursuing his music career.
“I used to deejay on weekends and I opened a tuck-shop at home just to have a cash flow and at school I used to sell sweets and lollipops,” Maphorisa said.
He explained that the money helped him save for his first car and travel between Pretoria and Johannesburg while working towards his music career.
So, years later, seeing the producer put his name to a burger collaboration feels like a rather delicious full-circle moment.
The Scorpion Kings – Maphorisa and Kabza De Small – teamed up with RocoMamas in September for the limited-edition King’s Feast, a menu inspired by their personalities, their music and plenty of South African flavour.
The collaboration ran until 30 September, meaning the burgers have now officially left the menu – but having tasted them, there is plenty to talk about.
Madumane Double – big, saucy and properly Mzansi
The DJ Maphorisa-inspired Madumane Double did not arrive quietly.
The burger featured a 200g double beef smash, chakalaka, chorizo and cheese, all packed into a brioche bun. RocoMamas positioned it as the “main drop” of the collaboration.
The first bite was very much about the beef, but then the chakalaka came through with that familiar South African kick.
Spicy, savoury and gloriously messy, it was the sort of burger that requires you to abandon any plans of eating neatly.
And there was something particularly kasi about that combination.
Chakalaka was not there as a gimmick. It gave the burger a distinctly South African personality, taking the familiar smashburger format and throwing in a flavour many Mzansi households know very well.
RocoMamas described the collaboration as burgers built by the two artists “the way they build a track – layer on layer until it hits.”
That description actually makes sense.
Papta Sting brings the heat
Then came Kabza De Small’s Papta Sting – and this one was for the spice chaser.
The burger combined southern-fried chicken with atchar and jalapeños on a brioche bun. RocoMamas summed it up neatly: “Sweet on the way in, sting on the way out.”
And that is pretty much the assignment.
The chicken brings the crunch, the atchar delivers that sweet-sour South African flavour, and then the jalapeño arrives with a little extra attitude.
It is the kind of burger that makes you pause after the first bite and ask yourself whether you really want another one.
Naturally, you do.
Kabza’s association with the burger also made sense because the collaboration was built around flavours that feel familiar to South African palates rather than trying too hard to reinvent the wheel.
It tasted like the kasi – with a RocoMamas twist
The King’s Feast was at its most interesting when it leaned into flavours that South Africans already know.
Chakalaka. Atchar. Pap balls. Big portions. Messy eating. Food made for sharing.
RocoMamas itself described the campaign as being inspired by the “grootmans of the yanos”, while its promotional material leaned heavily into the idea of bringing South African flavour to the menu.
That made the collaboration feel like more than simply putting two famous names on burgers.
Amapiano has always been closely connected to place, community, language, fashion, dance and everyday South African life. The King’s Feast borrowed from that same cultural vocabulary and put it on a plate.
And yes, chakalaka on a burger works.
There, we said it.
The timing was perfect
The RocoMamas collaboration formed part of the build-up to Scorpion Kings Live at FNB Stadium on 19 September.
RocoMamas was an official activation partner for the massive concert, alongside brands including SABC1, which was the official broadcast partner.
The King’s Feast was available throughout September before ending on 30 September.
So if you were planning to rush to RocoMamas today for a Madumane Double or Papta Sting, unfortunately, you have missed the boat – or in this case, the burger.
But there is another Scorpion Kings moment waiting tonight.
From the burger to the big screen
Scorpion Kings Live is making its television debut on SABC1 today, Saturday, 3 October, at 20:00.
The concert, which was staged at FNB Stadium on 19 September, will be broadcast for the first time on television, with a simultaneous broadcast on SABC Plus. SABC1 confirmed the broadcast as part of its partnership with the event.
For viewers who were not inside FNB Stadium, tonight is the chance to experience the scale of the show from home.
SABC Video Entertainment Marketing Manager Dichaba Phalatse described the concert as “more than a concert” and “a defining South African cultural moment”, saying SABC1 wanted to bring the energy of FNB Stadium to audiences across the country.
The Scorpion Kings themselves said: “Scorpion Kings Live was too special to be experienced for one night only.”
They added: “Now, for the first time, people across South Africa can relive that experience from wherever they are.”
And that is where the RocoMamas collaboration comes full circle.
The burgers may have disappeared from the menu, but the music is still very much on.
So, what was the foodie verdict?
The Madumane Double was the heavyweight – beefy, saucy, cheesy and carrying enough chakalaka to remind you that this was never meant to be just another burger.
The Papta Sting was the cheekier one – crispy chicken, atchar and jalapeño bringing the sweet-and-sting combination promised in the name.
Neither needed to pretend to be fine dining.
They were burgers.
Big, messy, youthful burgers with a distinctly South African accent.
And perhaps that was the point.
Maphorisa went from selling sweets and running a tuck shop to becoming one of the biggest names in Amapiano. Now his name has been attached to a burger loaded with chakalaka.
Not a bad journey.
The King’s Feast may have left RocoMamas on 30 September, but the Scorpion Kings are back on screen tonight.
So get your snacks sorted, turn up the volume and settle in for FNB Stadium from your sofa.
Just don’t blame us if watching Kabza and Maphorisa perform makes you hungry.
That part is on you.
