ALMOST A YEAR AFTER ‘HIT’: WHAT’S THE LATEST IN AKA MURDER INVESTIGATION?

This week marks almost a year since celebrated South African rapper AKA – real name Kiernan Forbes – was gunned down by unknown attackers in Durban.

But with time, police have yet to close in on the men who pulled the trigger or ordered the attack on the award-winning star.

ALMOST A YEAR SINCE AKA WAS GUNNED DOWN

It’s been exactly 11 months since AKA and Tibz’s brutal murder outside restaurant Wish On Florida.

On that fateful evening, the rapper was dining with a group of friends ahead of his scheduled performance at Durban club YuGo.

However, the star barely made it out of the eatery when he was struck in a hail of bullets. The incident was recorded via CCTV footage.

According to one of AKA’s bodyguards, Anwar “Dogg” Khan, the star had “breached protocol” on the night he was murdered.

AKA

AKA’s bodyguard Anwar ‘Dogg’ Khan says the rapper insisted on returning to Durban, despite threats from angry critics. Images via Twitter: @etv

Speaking to Annika Larsen on her eTV show My Guest Tonight in March, Khan said: “In my absence, protocol was breached. Kiernan was called and invited to go to Florida Road (Wish), which he accepted, and he went.

“Had I been there, that protocol would not have been breached simply because that call would’ve come through the road manager.”

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When asked the burning question of who he believes shot and killed AKA, the bodyguard responded: “I don’t know. Why would someone want Kiernan dead?

“He’s an icon, an idol, a mentor. He’s a supporter, a beautiful dad, and an inspiration to many people. He had employees who depended on him.”

RAPPER KNEW HIS KILLER

In December, Minister of Police Bheki Cele claimed that AKA’s killer was a “close associate.”

Speaking to Metro FM’s Faith Mangope, Cele claimed that police were still gathering information, which they had received from two eyewitnesses, who were now in police protection.

Asked if the rapper was killed by “inkabi” [hitmen], the minister said: “I guess once you are hired, you are inkabi, but some of those people were close associates [of the deceased].”

Faith interjected: “So close associates of AKA were part of orchestrating the murder of AKA according to the intelligence you’ve got so far?

Cele continued: “Let me end there. But that you have said, I think it is enough for the public to understand that we are close [to solving the case]”.