Witness Says Lookout Stalked AKA In Restaurant Before Deadly Shooting

AKA‘s murder trial put the man accused of watching the rapper inside Wish restaurant in focus Friday, October 23, when a police witness identified Lindokuhle Ndimande in security footage shown in court.

Rajen Sanders told the Durban High Court that Ndimande sat with a clear view of AKA’s table, according to SABC News. The rapper had been eating with his entourage before he was shot outside the restaurant.

Sanders also identified Ndimande as the person seen getting out of a car linked to co-defendant Mziwethemba Gwabeni near the venue. Prosecutor Lawrence Gcaba said he planned to submit records from Ndimande’s bail application, in which Ndimande acknowledged being at Wish.

Ndimande has given a different reason for being there.

During his 2024 bail application, he denied working as a spotter and said he was waiting for a woman to meet him for a date. He said his repeated calls were attempts to reach her after she failed to arrive, Daily Sun reported.

Friday’s footage followed his movements between Wish and nearby AuthentiQ restaurant. Daily Sun reported that he changed tables several times, allegedly to improve his view of AKA, before remaining on a call until the shooting.

Sanders said he downloaded the recordings and watched them repeatedly, identifying Ndimande as the man wearing shorts and a white T-shirt, according to TimesLIVE.

The footage placed him inside Wish when the shots were fired. He then stood up while still on his phone, paid his bill by card and left. AKA’s friend, Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, had earlier been seated with friends at AuthentiQ, which Ndimande was also seen entering.

AKA and Tibz were killed outside Wish on Durban’s Florida Road on February 10, 2023. The rapper, whose real name was Kiernan Forbes, was 35.

The trial began on October 5. Friday’s hearing brought the court back to footage from the restaurants on the night of the killings.

Seven men are on trial. All pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy to commit murder, two murders, five counts of attempted murder and firearm and ammunition offenses.

The trial was adjourned until Monday, when Sanders is due to continue his testimony about the video footage.