'I was on a date at Wish at the time AKA was shot' - AKA murder accused

Lindokuhle Ndimande, one of the accused in the killing of music megastar AKA and his friend, chef Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane, says he was on a date at Wish restaurant on Florida Road on the day of the murder but the woman never arrived.

In an affidavit read onto the record, Ndimande, 29, said he had used his bank card at Wish on the day but denied that he was a spotter.

“I dispute any suggestion that I went to the airport on the day (February 10 2023) the deceased met their death. On the 10th of February 2023, I had arranged to meet a lady at Wish restaurant. However, realising that the clock was ticking while at Wish restaurant and the lady was not coming, I kept calling her and she kept on promising that she will definitely come,” said Ndimande.

“I dispute any notion that I was a spotter. I was not even aware that the first deceased [AKA] was also around. It was shortly after the gunshots had ceased that I heard that there was [a] shooting outside and that one of the victims was Mr AKA.

“I did not know anything about the shooting. I deny the investigating officer’s [W/O Kumarasan Pillay] version that I changed position while at Wish restaurant. I dispute the investigating officer’s version that I was not patronising Wish restaurant regularly.”

Ndimande and four other men – Lindani Ndimande, 35, Siyanda Myeza, 21, Mziwethemba Gwabeni, 36, and Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi, 30 – face 10 charges. These include two counts of murder, five of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of unlawful firearms and possession of unlawful ammunition.

Two other accused, brothers Siyabonga Gezani Ndimande and Malusi Dave Ndimande, who were arrested in Eswatini last month, are being extradited to SA.

Ndimande said he handed himself to police after he received a call from his mother, informing him that police were looking for him.

“…Regarding my arrest, I dispute that there was ever a time in which police came to my homestead, looking for me, except the day they approached my mother who called me to inform me that the police were looking for me.

“It is the only day I spoke to the police, when the police also showed my mother where my grave will be, next to the kraal, if I do not hand myself over. I handed myself over [in] the morning with the assistance of my attorney… I dispute that I ever went to Eswatini. I was within the Republic of SA.

“I cannot deny that my bank card was used in Eswatini as it is a virtual bank card, loaded onto my phone in possession of one of the arrestees in Eswatini,” Ndimande said.

He said prior to the fateful day, he had two bank accounts but his cards gave him problems.

Pillay last week revealed in court how Durban businessman Sydney Mfunda Gcaba had paid more than R800,000 into Gwabeni’s account, a day after the duo was killed.

Gwabeni then made several payments to different people, including Ndimande, who got R133,000 deposited into his Standard Bank account.

Ndimande told the court that he opened the Standard Bank account on February 10 2023 and that the money he received was for driving services he had provided and had not been paid for.

Myeza, through his legal representative, told the court that he couldn’t have been at Wish restaurant because he was in hospital where he was being treated for a gunshot wound on the day of the killing.

However, the state’s case is that he organised the guns and getaway car.

“I was admitted as an inpatient, straight from casualty after being stabilised on 11 February 2023, around 12.30 at night…

“My ankle was absolutely shattered and I remained on crutches until recently… The time of the [AKA and Tibz] shooting incident was around 22.18pm on 10 February 2023. By that time, I was at admitted at Kind Edward Hospital casualty… I was therefore not capable of being at the scene at the time of the shooting, in a position to collect firearms and a Mercedes-Benz…"

mashabas@sowetan.co.za