Superstar Kiernan Forbes, affectionately known as AKA, was gunned down alongside his long-time friend, Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane, outside a restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, by two unidentified gunmen.
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa and the music industry globally are still shocked following the murder of superstar Kiernan Forbes, affectionately known as AKA.
The Supa Mega was gunned down alongside his long-time friend, Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, outside a restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, by two unidentified gunmen on Friday evening.
It is alleged that his bodyguard was wounded during the gunfire. AKA’s family released a statement confirming his passing in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“It is with extreme sadness that we acknowledge the passing of our beloved son and confirm his ultimately and tragic passing on the evening of February 10, 2023. We are awaiting further detail from the Durban police,” read the statement in part.
The police in KwaZulu-Natal have confirmed that they are investigating two counts of murder. According to a statement by the SAPS, information available to authorities at this time suggests that Forbes and Motsoane were leaving a restaurant and heading towards their car when they were accosted by two armed suspects who approached them from across the street and shot the pair at close range. Subsequently, the suspects fled the scene on foot.
“The investigation is still in the early stages. We have not yet apprehended any suspects, but my team is on the ground following a few leads,” said Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
Family, industry peers and fans were at a loss for words to describe what had befallen the music industry. Many took to social media platforms but could not go beyond five words in reacting to the news.
Raphael Benza, the rapper’s former manager, business partner and long-time friend, said in an interview with the publication that the news of AKA’s passing shattered him.
Benza spoke about AKA’s impact on the South African hip-hop industry. He said the slain rapper was a game-changer.
“Kiernan’s work and talent were groundbreaking in every sense. His rapping style was fresh and new, even from the beginning. He was one of the most fantastic performers and producers in the country. He brought something fresh to the music scene and changed everything.
“In 2011, everything changed in the industry because of him. Kiernan influenced other people to produce different news of hip hop and write differently. He brought new energy to the music scene. He was not categorised as a hip-hop artist because he was a musician of note – he produced music before he started rapping,” said Benza.
AKA, born and bred in Cape Town, rose to fame with the group Entity, which consisted of Vice Versa, Greyhound and himself. The song “Touch and Go” put them on the map.
He cemented himself as a household name with the release of the song “Victory Lap” from his debut studio album, “Altar Ego”. The album won multiple awards during the 2011 Metro FM Music Awards, including Best Hip Hop and Best Produced Album.
At the 2012 South African Music Awards (Samas), the album was further recognised as the Best Street Urban Music Album, and the rapper was named Male Artist of the Year.
The heartbroken Benza said the star was more than a friend but more like a son to him. He said in the past three years, AKA had thanked him for always being by his side.
“In the past few years, Kiernan would say to me, ‘you raised me, took care of me, and taught me a lot as father’. I will miss those phone calls at 3am when he would be working on music and calling me to listen when he was completely in his creative space and his most vulnerable moment.
“We would go from talking about the music to talking about personal stuff like what was going on in life and his personal space. The calls always ended with us telling each other how much we loved and appreciated each other,” he said.
Various political parties and organisations have reacted to the rapper’s murder. The DA urged the public to come forward should they have any information relating to the matter.
The EFF said the loss of AKA would take the SA hip hop and music industry backwards. The ANC extended its condolences to AKA’s mother, Lynn Forbes, and his daughter, Kairo.
The National Freedom Party (NFP) released a statement calling for authorities, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele to take action and bring the suspects to justice.
“The NFP is deeply disheartened by the lack of effort put forth by the government and the SAPS in addressing the escalating murder rates in our nation. For too long, the authorities have resorted to simply blaming the violence on personal relationships, ignoring the root of the problem.
“This complacency has led to the SAPS continuing to report on crime patterns using outdated methods, instead of working towards improving their understanding of crime and utilising data analysis to combat it. The NFP demands immediate action be taken to rectify this issue,” read the party statement.
Sony Music managing director Sean Watson said in a statement: “Our hearts are broken. We’ve lost not only an icon but someone dear to us as a member of the Sony family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones today. All of us at Sony Music convey our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family, friends, the Megacy and South Africa.”
The chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture, Beauty Dlulane, urged law enforcement to protect artists.
“We call on authorities to do all they can to protect South Africans from this new scourge of what seems to be contract and revenge killings where performing artists and DJs seem to be targeted,” she said.
The restaurant Wish on Florida, where the rapper was killed, released a statement stating that they were co-operating with the police and had handed over their CCTV footage to the authorities. The press release stated that the establishment would be closed until further notice.
AKA was the latest musician gunned down in the past three months. In November last year, famous kwaito artist and DJ, Oupa “Sumbody” Sefoka, was killed on his way to a gig. In January this year, musician Itumeleng Mosoeu, popularly known as Vusi ma R5, was also gunned down.
