South African President rejects state funeral bid for rapper AKA

Johanesburg. A request by a provincial government for state funeral to be given to a popular South African rapper murdered last week has been denied by president Cyril Ramaphosa, local media report.

Gauteng’s premier Panyaza Lesufi had written to Ramaphosa requesting permission to give slain rapper Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, a state funeral.

He said he had not requested for state funds for the funeral, but for the coffin to be draped with the national flag and flags to be flown at half-mast in honour of the rapper.

“We felt that the person of his international stature, person of his national stature, there must be some form of honour, and we want to clarify it is not a financial contribution,” he is quoted as saying.

A public memorial for the rapper is taking place on Friday. He will be buried on Saturday.

On 10 February 2023, AKA was shot dead outside a restaurant in Durban. He was scheduled to perform at Yugo nightclub in Durban as part of his birthday celebrations.

At around 10 P.M. that night, AKA and his friends including Tebello Motsoane were standing outside Wish, a restaurant on Florida road when a hooded gunman ran up to them and shot Forbes in the head, while his accomplice who was standing by Forbes’s car released more shots which killed Motsoane.

The two gunmen then fled the scene on foot. AKA and Motsoane were pronounced dead at the scene.