AKA, one of the most popular rappers in South Africa, has been shot down outside of a restaurant in Durban, a coastal city in the African country. AKA’s real name is Kiernan Forbes, and he was killed along with his friend, the chef and entrepreneur Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.
The duo were said to have been heading to a nightclub to play a show as part of AKA’s birthday celebrations when they were tragically shot. As of yet, there is no known motive for the killing. The South African police stated, “They were allegedly approached by two armed suspects who walked to them from across the street and shot the victims at close range.”
AKA’s parents, Tony and Lynn Forbes posted a statement on their son’s official Twitter account. They wrote, “It is with extreme sadness that we acknowledge the passing of our beloved son. Our son was loved, and he gave love in return.” South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates, and many people in the country have legal firearms for personal protection, while several illegal weapons are also in circulation.
Beauty Dlulane, the National Assembly Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture Party in South Africa, has condemned the murder of AKA and claimed that it sounds like a “hit”. She has urged local authorities “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”.
Late last year, Opua Sefoka, aka DJ Sumbody, a star of the amapiano house music genre, was killed in a drive-by shooting alongside his bodyguard in Johannesburg. Back in 2007, one of South Africa’s best-loved music artists, the reggae star Lucky Dube was shot three times whilst dropping his son at a relative’s home, dying in the process.