Five suspects appear for pre-trial hearing in AKA murder case
South African award-winning rapper, AKA was tragically killed in February 2023 on Florida Road, Durban
The five suspects accused of murdering Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes and Tebello 'Tibz' Motsoane are set to appear in the Durban High Court on Thursday for a pre-trial hearing.
AKA and Tibz were shot dead while leaving the Wish restaurant in Durban's Florida Road on February 10, 2023.
The accused, Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Ndimande, Siyanda Myeza, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, and Lindokuhle Ndimande, face a raft of charges including murder and money laundering.
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TimesLIVE
11 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
'I feel a sickening emptiness. How is Presley gone?'
It is dark as we gather on a quiet suburban street in 2004 to film the final scene of Tsotsi, a low budget, all-South African film. For months I have fretted over how to end this story of a violent young gangster who, through a carjacking gone wrong, becomes an accidental father to a stolen infant. I have written two endings. In one, the eponymous Tsotsi, played by an extraordinarily gifted nineteen-year-old first-time screen actor named Presley Chweneyagae, will be shot dead by an on-edge police officer and bleed out on the street. In the other, he will bolt, clear a stone wall and escape across burnt veld into a sprawling world of thousands of shacks. Redeemed by returning the stolen child to its distraught mother and father, should Tsotsi live or die? Or is there a third way? We rehearse both endings. We start filming. Glued to my monitor I watch Presley in close-up begin to tremble as he bravely carries the kidnapped baby across the empty street to deliver it into the arms of the child's father, played by the great Rapulana Seiphemo. The two stand together for a moment, both holding the child. Presley does not immediately release the baby. Rapulana does not snatch it away. They seem frozen. I watch. Presley is a contained well of emotion that rises from somewhere unfathomably deep and spills from eyes filled with more feeling than I have ever seen in any other actor, before or since. He is a master of restrained emotional honesty. A broken child himself. Presley lets go. The father retreats slowly with his child. Presley remains alone in the middle of the street; the guns of two police officers trained on him. And then he slowly raises his hands. They rise silently over his head. Nothing is forced. The action is a simple surrender. A giving over to whatever fate, whatever punishment, may await him. He is neither dead nor free. But he is redeemed — by the simple gesture of the raised hands of Presley Chweneyagae. And that is how the film ends. With the audience left to be his judge. As I sit now, remembering this moment — and so many others like it where Presley's performance vastly exceeded my expectations as we made Tsotsi together — I feel a sickening emptiness. How is he gone? He was only 40. And I, 20 years older, am still here? I have said it to young would-be actors many times: if you want to see what great screen acting is, watch Presley Chweneyagae in Tsotsi. Gavin Hood I have nothing but beautiful memories of this man. Of working with him scene by scene, and watching him, moment by moment, as he opened himself to the camera without an ounce of vanity or ego. I have said it to young would-be actors many times: if you want to see what great screen acting is, watch Presley Chweneyagae in Tsotsi. Watch how he commands our attention, even when he has no dialogue. Watch his stillness, that is not still at all. Watch how he vibrates with an inner life, as nuanced as you will see in only truly great actors. His central performance, alongside the exquisite Terry Pheto as Miriam, and the rest of our incredible cast, is why our film won an Oscar. And why Presley won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role at the 2006 Black Movie Awards in Los Angeles, up against fellow nominees Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tyrese Gibson. I remember sitting with him over a lunch a few days later and discussing whether he might stay with me in LA for a while and meet American agents. There were many who wanted to meet him. After some discussion, he was clear: We had been on the road promoting Tsotsi at film festivals for many months leading up to the Oscars and he needed to go home. He wanted to see his mother, who had apparently sent him to drama lessons as a child to keep him away from real 'tsotsis'. And, importantly, he wanted to be an actor in South Africa, not in America. His connection to the character of Tsotsi was deep because he loved and cared about the people back home. It wasn't that he didn't care about Americans. They just weren't his people. And anyway, he said, they had plenty of actors to tell their stories. He belonged in South Africa, telling South African stories. And he did that. He went home and brought joy to South African audiences for years. And now he is gone, far too soon. And I can only say I am honoured to have known you, Prez, and forever grateful to have worked with you, sir. Rest well.
The South African
15 hours ago
- The South African
Gayton predicts Joslin's mom Kelly Smith will CONFESS in jail
Gayton McKenzie has reacted to the life sentence imposed on Kelly Smith for trafficking and kidnapping her own daughter, Joslin Smith. The Minister of Sport, Art and Culture condemned the Saldanha Bay woman, who has been convicted of being the 'mastermind'. Kelly and her co-offenders, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis and Steven van Rhyn, were sentenced by Western Cape High Court Judge Nathan Erasmus on Thursday. Joslin went missing on 19 February 2024. She has yet to be found. In a Facebook Live over the weekend, Gayton McKenzie reacted to the life sentence imposed on Kelly Smith, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn. A week after Joslin's disappearance, Gayton arrived in Saldanha Bay, where he launched a search party and even befriended the trio. Condemning Kelly, he said, 'There's no mother in this world who will not testify [during court]. No mother will not give information that might get her child back. Kelly is a dark person'. He continued: 'The moment I met Kelly, I knew she was guilty. Not because I'm smart, but because I spent my whole youth in jail. I've met the worst of the worst in life.' Gayton lauded the High Court judge, state prosecutors, and community members for their work in investigating and convicting the trio. He vowed to continue his search for Joslin, who has been missing. He continued: 'I might not have found Joslin, but we found the people who sold her. We're still going to get her; we are not going to stop looking.g 'We haven't found Joslin, but we've found justice for Joslin'. @l_keezy021 Gayton McKenzie talks about Kelly Smith, Boeta Appollis and Steveno Van Rhyn getting life in prison for selling Joshlin #southafricatiktok #joshlinsmith #joslinsmith #kellysmith #cwecwe #latestnews #incaseyoumissedit #gaytonmckenzie #southafricantiktok🇿🇦 #fyp #fypageシ #fypp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – L_Keezy021 Also in the Facebook Live, Gayton McKenzie shared his predictions that Kelly Smith couple soon reveal all. He added: 'She is going to rot in jail….Prison does something to people. Very soon, she will start confessing'. Last month, Gayton McKenzie announced that he officially registered a foundation in Joslin Smith's name. The NGO would assist the families of missing children around South Africa. He shared in a Facebook post: 'The foundation will donate money next week to secure the schooling of the brother and sister of Joslin'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
21 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
'Olorato was known for her grace, intelligence and quiet boldness': family and friends bid her farewell
Deputy Minister of police Polly Boshielo has issued a stern call to South African parents to stop protecting their children when they commit crimes, especially in the face of the country's ongoing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) crisis. Speaking at the funeral of 30-year-old murder victim Olorato Mongale in Bloemfontein on Sunday, Boshielo stressed that the actions of family members who shield perpetrators often lead to further harm against women and girls, who are manipulated, targeted and ultimately victimised. This is after the mother of one of the suspects being sought for Mongale's murder tipped her son off about the police looking for him. 'I want to, at this point, appeal to parents and everybody who is in this room, if somebody has done something wrong, please, please, stop shielding them,' Boshielo said. Mongale, whose body was found last week after a nationwide search, is believed to have been the latest victim of an alleged romance scam syndicate that lured women under the pretence of love, only to rob and in some cases kidnap them. Boshielo said as soon as the case was brought to their attention last Sunday evening, the SAPS national anti-kidnapping task team ande Gauteng provincial investigating unit were immediately brought in to support the investigating officer from Sandringham police station to track down a suspect known as John. 'In no time, the team followed the tracks of the VW Polo and the two perpetrators,' she said. The investigation began at a lodge in Kew, Johannesburg, where the suspects had booked a room. The team then followed leads to KwaZulu-Natal, where they located the VW Polo at a panel beating workshop in Phoenix. 'The vehicle was found with traces of blood, which our forensic experts are still analysing,' said Boshielo. Philangenkosi Makhanya, identified as one of the main suspects, was killed in a shoot-out with police in Amanzimtoti on Friday. In his possession, officers found more than 27 identity cards and 20 mobile phones believed to belong to previous victims. His alleged accomplice, Bongani Mthimkhulu, remains at large. Police have linked the pair to at least 20 similar cases across the country, with women in several cities including Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane coming forward to positively identify the two suspects. 'Women from across the country have positively identified them as the pair that kidnapped and robbed them. Some cases have been reported where we are today in Bloemfontein. In Bloemfontein, we have one case reported in Park Road and one in Kagisanong with the same modus operandi. They met these guys at the waterfront mall and other malls in Bloemfontein, agreed to go out on a date with them and they were later robbed. Other cases have been reported in Nelspruit, Midrand, Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Lebowakgomo in Limpopo and Johannesburg,' Boshielo said. During the funeral service, Mongale's grandmother, Gogo Sisi, said she never got to hear a 'happy birthday' wish from her granddaughter on Friday.
