President Cyril Ramaphosa has turned down the request from the Gauteng Provincial Government to grant the slain hip-hop artist Kiernan Forbes commonly known as AKA a Special Provincial Official Funeral.
AKA was killed last Friday along with his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane outside a restaurant in Durban.
The Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi broke the news in a statement that he visited the Forbes family and informed them of the decision by Ramaphosa.
However, Lesufi committed that the provincial government would honour the late musician by providing law enforcement, a gravesite at Heroes Acre Cemetery and a South African flag to be draped on his casket.
“We feel that a person of AKA’s stature must receive some form of honour, and we want to clarify that it is not a financial contribution. We will drape the coffin and provide a gravesite at Heroes Acre Cemetery for the burial. We will ensure that his funeral is befitting a person of his stature,” said Lesufi.
The premier also said that he was in discussion with Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa on their attendance of the send-off ceremonies.
AKA was famous for raising the South African flat wherever he went in the world and was one of the country’s popular ambassadors in Africa.
A Nigerian musician and Grammy award winner Burna Boy paid tribute to AKA through his Instagram post.
“I just heard he died, seen that video at that restaurant.
Took me out of a positive mood.
Took me back to that day
when you saw my [gun] and you said I was wild/
Then I told you you should have one too/
Cuz it weren’t like n****s wasn’t dying but I thought you knew,” he posted.
The pair worked together on “All Eyes On Me” 2014 and also on “Baddest” a year later.
AKA’s family announced that his upcoming album “Mass Country” which is due on February 24, 2023, will be released as scheduled.
A memorial service will be held on Friday at Sandton Convention Centre while the musician whose killers haven’t been arrested will be buried in a private funeral which will be held on Saturday in Johannesburg.
