At least six people, all aged below 36, have been arrested in connection with the murders of South African rapper Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, and his close friend, celebrity chef and entrepreneur Tebello “Tibz” Motshoane, slightly over a year ago.
The duo were gunned down outside a restaurant in Durban slightly over a year ago. Police say the hitmen were allegedly paid to target AKA but the motive of the killing is yet to be revealed.
According to a media release on Tuesday night, AKA was monitored from the airport and Tibz was not the intended target in the murder on Florida Road in Durban last February.
The suspects who are behind bars include two gunmen who fired several rounds at the victims, two spotters who followed AKA from Durban’s airport, someone who sourced the firearms which were used in the ambush, as well as the mastermind.
The suspects are due to appear in court on Thursday. A seventh suspect is still on the run.
Exhibits recovered during the arrests include four vehicles, firearms linked to the the murders of AKA and Motshoane and empty cartridges.
Police Minister Bheki Cele acknowledged that the killings of AKA and his friend, which was caught on CCTV cameras, disturbed many people in the country, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. “I hope South Africans will sleep better after this,” he said. Reflecting on the motive that minister said it will “come out in court”.
“We are all interested to know what the motive was. It is very clear that it was not a case of someone waking up in the morning angry. You can see that in the build-up and co-ordination,” the Police Minister says.
AKA began his musical career as part of the rap group Entity before he launched his solo career, winning several awards in South Africa for his music.
He was also celebrated internationally, with several nominations for awards from Black Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV Europe. He received a posthumous honor at the BET Hip Hop Awards last year.
