South African rapper Kiernan Forbes, known by his stage name AKA, and his friend Tibz Motsoane were shot and killed outside a Durban restaurant in February 2023.
New developments in the trial of the alleged gunmen point to a possible connection with a prominent businessman.
Court documents allege a company owned by Sydney Mfundo Gcaba, a member of a powerful South African family, transferred over 800,000 rand to one of the suspects, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, just a day after the murders.
Prosecutors also presented phone records showing a call between Gwabeni and Mr Gcaba before the transfer.
Mr. Gcaba has not responded to these allegations. Prosecutors believe the money was then divided amongst the seven suspects.
Gwabeni claims he received the funds for consulting services provided to the company, but prosecutors argue there’s no evidence to support this.
The Gcaba family has a significant business presence in South Africa, including a taxi empire. Authorities are still searching for a motive behind Mr Gcaba’s alleged involvement in AKA’s murder.