Rapper Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA, has been shot and killed in Durban. The incident took place outside the restaurant Wish on Florida Road just after 10pm on Friday night.
AKA and another person close to him had just finished having supper and were preparing to leave when unknown gunmen shot them.
Both were killed in the drive-by shooting. The hip-hop star was due to perform at YūGō nightclub in Durban on Friday night. Without revealing their identities, police confirmed the incident.
“What we can confirm for now is that a well-known musician, 35-year-old, and his bodyguard who is said to be 34 years old were shot and killed in Florida road on Friday night,” said KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda.
The pair were declared dead on the scene, but their bodies which were covered with table umbrellas were only removed after 2am on Saturday morning.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for arts and culture Amanda Bani-Mapena expressed sadness following the brutal murder of the artist.
“KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sport Arts Culture has learnt with shock and sadness of the fatal shooting of rapper Kiernan Forbes known as AKA late on Friday evening in Durban’s bustling Florida Road precinct,” said Bani-Mapena.
The MEC added that she hoped law enforcement agencies would leave no stone unturned in apprehending the suspects linked to Forbes’ killing.
“We hope the law enforcement agencies will do their work in bringing the perpetrators to justice.”
Police are investigating two counts of murder, and no arrests have been made.
Forbes’ fiancé Anele Tembe fell to her death from her hotel room in an Cape Town hotel in April 2021.