Two brothers accused of k!lling rapper AKA abandon extradition fight as they return to South Africa for trial

Two brothers accused of being the gunmen in the 2023 murder of South African rapper AKA (Kiernan Forbes) and his friend, chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, are now expected to be extradited from Eswatini to stand trial in South Africa.

The brothers, Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande and Malusi David Ndimande, had been fighting their extradition since their arrest in Eswatini in February 2024, resisting a court ruling made in August 2024 that ordered their return to South Africa to face trial alongside five other accused persons.

According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the Ndimande brothers have now abandoned their appeal against the extradition order. The Eswatini authorities have formally notified South Africa of the withdrawal, paving the way for their return to face justice.

Ramkisson-Kara confirmed that the matter will now be handled directly by the Eswatini authorities in cooperation with South African officials.

The two brothers are alleged to have carried out the execution-style killing of AKA and Motsoane outside a restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, in February 2023, a murder that shocked the nation and sparked widespread public outrage.

Their upcoming trial, along with that of the five co-accused, has been scheduled for July next year, marking a key step in what has been one of South Africa’s most high-profile murder investigations.