The unexpected passing of South African rapper Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, known as AKA, has sent shockwaves throughout the country’s entertainment industry.
The rapper was fatally shot on February 10, on a busy street in Florida, Durban, where he was scheduled to perform. The incident has left many in the industry feeling uneasy, including Grammy award-winning star Zakes Bantwini, who has decided to take a break from performing.
In an interview with Drum, Zakes Bantwini expressed his shock and paranoia following AKA’s passing. “We are all fearful, and when you have fear, you have to think again about going to a gig, about posting your show on your Instagram stories,” he said.
“Nobody is supposed to die, especially through somebody else’s will. We live in such trying times, and it makes you worry because no one is ever brought to book when such things happen.”
For Bantwini, AKA’s passing was a stark reminder of his own personal tragedy. He revealed that his father was also shot and killed, but the cause of his father’s death was never disclosed to the public.
The manner in which AKA was killed has led police to believe that it was an assassination. The KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi confirmed this, saying that “from the evidence that we have collected, we have no doubt.
From what we have seen as the police is that two criminals walked across the street. There is one that walked first and stood on the side of the road. Another one walked around the car, and he shot only AKA behind his ear. He did not shoot the friend that was with him.”
The police are now looking into AKA’s enemies, and they believe that the incident in Cape Town, where his ex-fiancé Anele Tembe died, might play a factor in his death. “For now, we can’t link anything with the murder.
However, our interest is to try and establish as to who would have wanted this man dead. So who was his enemy? We know the incident that happened in Cape Town. So that’s why when immediately when the incident happened, it’s part of our investigation strategy as we’re establishing all potential enemies of the deceased. The incident in Cape Town will definitely anger some people blaming him for being the cause of such death that happened in Cape Town,” said Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The speculation surrounding AKA’s death has resulted in some of his close friends receiving a lot of blame, including Don Design and Scorpio Siya. The Forbes family lawyer, Rudolph Baloyi, has appealed to the public not to entertain such speculation.
“At the end of the day, everybody is looking for answers. We would all like to know what actually led to this. We would also like to know who are the people behind this. Some of Kiernan’s close friends have now received a lot of blame. There are many people that are analyzing the videos. I have seen a lot of comments about Don Design, who is Kiernan’s DJ, who he traveled with almost everywhere,” said Baloyi.
The tragic passing of AKA has once again highlighted the issue of violent crime in South Africa. Despite the government’s efforts to address the issue, the country continues to grapple with high crime rates. In 2020, there were 21,325 reported murders in the country, with a murder rate of 36.4 per 100,000 people, according to official statistics.
In the wake of AKA’s passing, many have taken to social media to express their shock and condolences. The hashtag #RIPAKA has been trending on Twitter
