Mfundo Gcaba: Who is the notorious 'paymaster' in AKA's murder?

A new name – Sydney Mfundo Gcaba – emerged during the AKA and Tibz murder case at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 27 March.

According to the State, Gcaba (who is from a notorious family with a taxi business empire in KwaZulu-Natal) allegedly paid more than R800 000 into the account of one of the accused, Muziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni.

The 36-year-old appeared in court for his bail application alongside his co-accused, Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, 30, Lindani Ndimande, 35, Siyanda Myeza, 21, and Lindokuhle Ndimande, 29.

The five accused men are facing 10 charges, including 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, are being extradited to South Africa after they were arrested in Eswatini last month.

Rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were gunned down outside a restaurant on Florida Road in Durban on 10 February 2023.

An affidavit deposed by investigating officer, Kumaran Pillay, and read by state prosecutor, advocate Elvis Gcweka, alleged that Gwabeni’s bank records showed that a day after the murder, at about 14:00, he received R803 455. The money was paid via the business bank account of a company Gcaba is the sole director of, called Bright Circle Pty Ltd.

It was also revealed that Gwabeni’s cellphone records show he made a call to a number linked to Gcaba.

“When the money was transferred, a reference was used as ‘consult’. This, we are of the view, was done to disguise the nature of the funds as same is viewed to be payment for the shooting,” said Pillay in the affidavit.

Mfundo Gcaba is one of four infamous Gcaba brothers known for owning a taxi empire with more than 500 minibus taxis and busses. The other brothers are Mandla, Roma and Thembinkosi.

The well-known taxi bosses are also the nephews of MK Party leader and former president Jacob Zuma. The Gcaba family is from Nkandla and the brothers’ mother is Zuma’s sister.

Mfundo Gcaba started Bright Circle in 2017 and the company is based in Umhlanga. He is also a director of seven other companies that are in the agriculture, logistics and taxi industry.

In 2015, SowetanLIVE reported that Gcaba and 10 others were arrested after a shooting at the Brook Street taxi rank which left three people dead, including an innocent commuter.

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