AKA-Tibz murder trial: Three police witnesses testify on gun allegedly linked to Eddie Myeza

The witnesses were grilled over arrest, search and firearm evidence in the AKA-Tibz murder trial. Three police officers took the stand on day four of the murder trial of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane on Thursday. The state is trying to show how a firearm was found, where it was found and how it links to accused number three, Siyanda “Eddie” Myeza. According to the state’s version, Myeza hired out guns. It is also trying to link the firearm to two crime scenes: the shooting of AKA and Tibz on Florida Road in February 2023, and the shooting of taxi boss Gift Khanyile in Mayville in 2022. Arrest without search warrant questioned The first witness on Thursday was a police sergeant who took part in the April 2023 operation in which Myeza was arrested. She told the court that Crime Intelligence asked her unit to help locate and arrest the suspect, whom she believed was Myeza. According to the sergeant, her team was briefed at 9pm before heading to the address. The defence questioned why no search warrant was obtained, and the sergeant said the team believed the suspect had a firearm. “We did not make it because of the urgent situation. Applying for a search warrant takes time,” she said. She also explained why the team had to wait for a police van. “I work in a specialised unit. Our unit does not have even a single police vehicle that can carry these suspects,” she said. Witness unable to say how gun was found The sergeant said that, upon arriving at the address, they went to a small one-room structure at the back of the property, not the main house. She described the room as a small one and agreed that it had only one entrance. She told the court the structure measured roughly three by two metres and had one door. “The structure was not big, my lady. It was actually a small one,” she said. The defence counsel pointed out that she had not said this earlier. “I was giving evidence in accordance with the instruction to us to go into the particular structure. I don’t know if I should have mentioned that fact before,” she said. Myeza’s version, put to her by the defence, was that seven people were ordered outside and made to lie down while the room was searched. The witness disagreed, saying she did not know what Myeza was referring to. She further testified that only two people were made to lie down, after the firearm was found on the accused. However, the defence argued that Myeza walked on crutches with a plaster cast from his ankle to his groin, so he could not have carried a gun at his waist. The sergeant said she stood behind the colleague who searched him. “I could not properly see or observe everything simply because I was guiding and looking. “The person who stands a better chance to explain that to the court, is the officer who took that firearm from the accused,” she said. Exhibit handling under scrutiny The second witness of the day was the station commander, a police captain who received the exhibits. According to the evidence, the commander gave the arresting officers exhibit bags. They packed and sealed the pistol, the magazine with ammunition and the cellphone in three separate bags, which the station commander locked in the station safe. Asked whether touch DNA or fingerprints were lifted before bagging, the commander said she did not know. She also admitted she had not checked the whole SAP 13 register for that night. “I did not look for every firearm recorded,” she said. “But I focused on the ones that are concerning this particular matter.” Murder and robbery investigator details the phones The third witness, an investigating officer, said that during his investigations, the team learned that a gun possibly used to kill AKA and Tibz was at a police station. He said he collected the exhibits and took them to the ballistics laboratory. The officer described a black pistol with its serial number filed off and a magazine with four live hollow-point rounds. He said he also applied for a magistrate-issued warrant to search six cellphones, including Nokia, Crest Mobile, Tecno and Samsung S9 devices. The defence argued the Cybercrime Act required written consent. “If an accused person or any other person does not want to sign the consent, then a warrant has to be applied for,” he said. He told the court the police did not take the phones from anyone. “These phones were recovered at a scene. It was not seized from any person at that stage,” he said. The officer said he was sent to collect two firearms from a police station after Crime Intelligence passed on information, adding that he had not dealt with Crime Intelligence directly. “Normally, I do not deal with the Crime Intelligence,” he said. When asked whether forensic analysis linked anyone to handling the firearms, he said he could not comment. Trial adjourned until Monday The cross-examination was brief, with the three defence advocates mostly seeking clarity. Some witnesses will testify by video link from the courthouse, but the court cannot arrange that until next week. The judge postponed the trial to Monday, 6 October 2026. “All the accused will be in custody,” the judge said. Myeza is accused alongside Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi, Lindani Ndimane, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, Lindokuhle Ndimande, Malusi Ndimande and Siyabonga Ndimande. Six of the seven accused argued for a separate trial, which the judge granted on Tuesday. Myeza faces 17 charges, while his co-accused face 11; he is set to stand trial alone on charges 12-17. They face two counts of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and firearm and ammunition offences. Myeza is the only accused who faces additional charges. His charges include two counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and vehicle theft. All seven have pleaded not guilty.