R800K paid into account of accused in AKA trial was ‘purely for business purposes’- Gcaba family

The family of Mfundo Gcaba has defended theR800,000 transaction he made into the account of Mziwethemba Gwabeni, who’s one of the accused in the AKA case, saying it was for business purposes.

“It is important to note that the financial transaction between him [Mfundo] and Mr Gwabeni were purely for business purposes,” averred a statement released by on o f the Gcaba brothers, Mandla on behalf of the family on Sunday.

The statement comes after the State alleged that the money paid for the hit on Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane came from Mfunda Gcaba.

The State claimed that accused number four, Gwabeni, made a call to Gcaba on 11 February 2023, a day after Forbes and Motsoane were killed, and shortly after the call, a sum of more than R803,000 was paid into his account.

The money came from a company called Bright Circle Pty (Ltd), of which Gcaba is the sole director.

“When the money was transferred, the reference used was ‘Consult’. This, we are of the view, was done to disguise the nature of the funds as it is viewed to be payment for the shooting,” State prosecutor, Elvis Gcweka, read out the investigating officer’s affidavit in court.

Gwabeni was previously pinpointed as the orchestrator and mastermind of AKA’s murder due to him allegedly receiving and distributing R800 000 among his co-accused.

ALSO READ: AKA-Tibz murder: Durban businessman says accusation baseless ‘conspiracy theory’

Gcaba family

The Gcaba family is one of the prominent KwaZulu-Natal taxi families. The Gcaba brothers are nephews to former President Jacob Zuma.

But in the statement from the family, they say the transaction wasn’t unfamiliar.

“These numerous transactions over a long period of time can be verified through bank records and were neither unique nor isolated,” read the statement.

The family raised concern over Mfundo not being approached by the relevant authorities to offer his statement.

“We believe in the principle of fairness and the right to be heard and we urge that this opportunity be extended to him at the earliest convenience.”

The statement described Mfundo as a successful businessman involved in various sectors, including coal mining and the taxi industry.  

“Mfundo has assured the family that he has no connections to any illegal activities, nor does he has any motive to engage in such.”

ALSO READ: AKA-Tibz murder: eSwatini receives extradition application as case postponed to April

Distrust

Tibz’s father, Sylvester Motsoane has previously spoken about his distrust of authorities nabbing the culprits.

 “You know in the newspapers, the news and everything, the police come out and say we know who shot him and we are going to get them very soon,” said a sullen Motsoane.

“That is the story that appears every now and then, and my wife and I said to ourselves: let us not follow this case, the day when it’s complete, they’ll tell us. Then we’ll get closure, let’s not worry about closure now, there will be now closure in the immediate future. They know who did it, they know why they don’t want to arrest them.”

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