Five of the seven suspects arrested for the murders of musician Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes and his celebrity chef friend Tebello 'Tibs' Motsoane, appeared at the Durban Magistrates Court today. The matter against accused Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi (30, Lindani Zenzele Ndimande (35) Siyanda Eddie Myeza (21), Mziwethemba Gwabeni (36) and Lindokuhle Lindo Ndimande (29) has been postponed to next week Friday for bail verification purposes. They face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, among others.

The magistrate ordered the accused to remove their masks and asked the media not to take pictures when the court was still in session. This is after the defence told the court that the matter is a severe one, emphasising that the accused have not yet been convicted, therefore they have a right to hide themselves. "Your worship, the accused might be granted bail, what will happen to them when they return to their communities? Also the proceedings are being broadcast live and they will put the lives of the accused at risk." The defence also asked the court that they wish for accused 1,4 and 5 to be kept at Chatsworth Police Station and not in Westville prison pending bail application. "It is difficult to consult with accused when they are kept in Westville," said the defence and accused number 4 complained that he was not being treated very well. However, the magistrate reminded the defence of accused 2 and 3 that they are already in prison for other matters. "Unfortunately, I cannot help you gentleman, we cannot move them from prison to a jail cell, that will be difficult" he said.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said the fact that there were seven suspects arrested and there's court proceedings it meant that there is major progress in the case. "The police have done their investigation and we believe that they are on the right track. There are processes that still need to be followed including the extradition of two suspects that are still in Eswatini. However, we believe that the police have cracked this case," said Cele. Nosipho Mnguni from Royal Eswatini Police Service said they received communication from the South African Police Service regarding suspects who were alleged hiding in Eswatini. "From that point we started searching for them, and luckily, we were able to apprehend them on Saturday morning. When we found them, they were just two, but we were told that there was a third suspect who was with them but had unfortunately left our country. The police did a great job because we got a brief but before the week ended, we had already apprehended them."