Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola has approved a request to extradite the Ndimande brothers accused of the murders of Kiernen 'AKA' Forbes and his friend celebrity chef, Tebello 'Tibz' Montsoane. The brothers Siyabonga were arrested in eSwatini where they have been hiding.

EXTRADITION APPROVED

Siyabonga and Malusi Ndimande were arrested by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service on 24 February at a rented flat in Mbabane. Authorities want the brothers to be extradited to join the five other suspects who were arrested for the murders since April last year. Lamola spokesperson Chrispin Phiri confirmed that the minister has approved a request for the extradition of the brothers. "The request is made in terms of the Extradition Treaty between South Africa and eSwatini dated 4 October 1968, and in terms of the SADC Protocol on Extradition dated 3 October 2002, to which both countries are signatories," Phiri said. He added that the ministry stands ready to give its highest level of co-operation to its counterparts in eSwatini.

THEY FLED SA AS THEY FEARED FOR THEIR LIVES

Yesterday, the Durban Magistrates Court heard that the two brothers left for eSwatini to seek refugee as they feared for their lives. According to their brother and co-accused Lindani Ndimande, in his affidavit read out in court, Siyabonga and Malusi were wanted by SAPS's National Intervention Unit (NIU) in taxi violence matter in Mtubatuba. He also claimed that the police killed their six siblings and they made it clear that they will kill their whole family. "My six siblings were killed by the NIU. They NIU wore balaclavas when they came to my homestead in Empangeni to look for me and made it clear that they will kill my whole family if they did not tell them about my whereabouts. My co-accused in eSwatini, yet to be restrained, had been forewarned and fled to seek refuge in eSwatini," he said in the affidavit. The two brothers will appear in the eManzini Magistrates Court tomorrow.