Sydney Mfunda Gcaba, the man accused of paying the suspects in the murder of rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes, comes from a notorious family with a taxi business empire known for intimidating rivals and allegedly buying weapons from the police. A 2022 report by Global Initiative called "Strategic Organised Crime: South Africa" referred to the Gcaba family as the "taxi Dons of Durban". The family hails from Nkandla and the brothers' mother is sister to former president Jacob Zuma.
Sydney Gcaba, 44, is a director of seven other companies involved in agriculture, logistics, and taxi business. He started Bright Circle in 2017 and is based in Umhlanga, a resort town north of Durban. According to a company register search done by Sowetan, Gcaba, 44, is one of four brothers who took over their father's taxi business in 1996 after his murder. The other brothers are Mandla, Roma, and Thembinkosi.
The report said the Gcabas were among the first taxi bosses to hire private security to protect both the family and their lucrative taxi business interests. In the late 1990s, they hired the taxi violence unit but soon realized that it would be more lucrative and effective to establish their own private security companies. The Gcabas have subsequently been accused of forcing other taxi bosses and associations to make use of Gcaba-run private security companies.
In 2015, Sydney Gcaba was among 11 men charged with the murder of three people following a shooting at Brook Street taxi rank. They were acquitted in 2017 because of poor evidence. During his bail application, Gcaba told the court that he was a father of eight children and engaged to three women. He also said he had 24 taxis and earned R400,000 monthly.
Gwabeni appeared in court with his co-accused Lindani Ndimande, Lindokuhle Ndimande, Siyanda Myeza, and Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi. They 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, who were arrested in Eswatini last month, are being extradited to SA.
W/O Kumarasan Pillay made the allegation in an affidavit read out by Gcweka that Gwabeni's bank records showed that a day after the murder, at about 2pm, he received R803,455.
