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‘It took resources’: AKA murder was a ‘well-funded’ hit, says slain rapper’s dad
The father of rapper AKA says his son was 'definitely assassinated' and that the police are close to cracking the murder case.
CCTV footage of the moment rapper AKA was shot and killed has been leaked on social media. Image via Instagram @akaworldwide and X
This Saturday it would be a year since the “execution-style” killings of award-winning rapper Kiernan “AKA” Jarryd Forbes and his close friend and celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane outside Durban’s Wish restaurant on 10 February.
In a marathon two-hour long interview on popular DJ Hazel Mahazard’s podcast, Within with Hazel, the slain rapper’s father, Tony Forbes, said there was no doubt in his mind that his son was assassinated.
AKA murder: Rapper ‘definitely assassinated’ – Tony Forbes
Replying to Hazel’s question as to whether he believes that AKA “was targeted in a hit”, Forbes said the following:
“Definitely he was assassinated… It took planning. It required resources. The guy walks around, targets Kiernan and shoots him in the head. How’s that random?”
According to Forbes, he believes the second shooter was there to make sure “the job is done”.
He explained that he watched the CCTV footage of his son being shot at point-blank range to “get some closure”.
In the shock footage doing the rounds on social media at the time, a man wearing a white beanie walks towards AKA and Motsoane before firing a single shot to the rapper’s head, who died instantly. The gunman then runs across the road and disappears.
The second shooter who could be seen waiting at a pole next to AKA’s vehicle, then draws his weapon and fires at the group from the other angle before fleeing with the first attacker.
It is believed that Motsoane died from a shot fired by a second shooter.
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‘People with money behind it’
“So there were people with money behind it, who funded it. People who had access to resources,” the Mass Country rapper’s father continued.
What the motive is… that is unclear at this point though.
He added that he was not able to divulge more details on what “we have been briefed in relation to the case and the progress that has been made in the investigation, other than what is on public record”.
Forbes, however, made it clear the family had been privy to more information about the murder and the investigation and, therefore, he believed the police could be close to cracking the case.
‘Just a matter of time’ – Cele on AKA murder investigation
His words echoes the progress update Police Minister Bheki Cele gave at a media briefing in Cape Town at the end of December last year.
According to Cele, the high-profile murder investigation was now at an advanced stage and it was just “a matter of time” before the culprits are brought to book.
“The fact that the getaway car was found, the gun itself has been found, some of the witnesses I’m told are in protection order, means it’s a case that has really covered some ground. We just need to get that particular person,” the police minister revealed.
Evidence of a hit?
In June 2023, City Press reported that the police were allegedly investigating members of a family involved in taxi operations, as well as the so-called construction mafia in KwaZulu-Natal.
The publication quoted sources in the security cluster who claimed that AKA and Motsoane were followed from King Shaka International Airport to the popular restaurant.
“The police have already obtained the footage that reveals that there was surveillance by the [alleged] hitmen who later carried out the hit outside Wish restaurant in Durban.”
“This family is powerful and feared,” one of the sources revealed.
ALSO READ: AKA’s murder: ‘Cele is one big failure, he has to go’, says expert
Another source went as far as to claim that one of the suspects was also spotted at the crime scene after AKA’s fiancée Anele “Nellie” Tembe plunged to her death from the 10th floor of Cape Town’s Pepperclub Hotel in the early hours of 11 April 2021.
“The person allegedly met with one of the suspects who has been arrested on a different charge and was [allegedly] involved in the shooting,” they said.
In May 2023, the NPA made a U-turn on what it labelled as a suicide investigation, stating that it would reinvestigate the death of Nellie, who was the daughter of KwaZulu-Natal businessman Moses Tembe.
NOW READ: Anele Tembe latest: NPA to reopen case of AKA’s ex due to ‘crucial evidence’
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