Police Minister Bheki Cele has announced that six men - some of whom were recently arrested in eSwatini - have been arrested in connection with the murder of South African rapper, AKA, who was shot dead outside a Florida Road restaurant in February last year.
The suspects are due to appear in court on Thursday.
The announcement was made on Tuesday night by the police brass including Cele, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at the SA Police Services provincial headquarters in Durban.
[JUST IN] The @SAPoliceService this hour announces a breakthrough in the murder of South African musician #AKA and friend Tebello. Police investigations have led to the have arrest of SIX people including the shooters, spotters, and the coordinator of the hit. pic.twitter.com/3rcHfqLY73
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) February 27, 2024
Mkhwanazi has led a team of highly skilled police investigators who have been probing the suspected assassination of the celebrated and multi award-winning rapper AKA, whose real name was Kiernan Forbes.
SUPA MEGA, as he was known to his fans, was gunned down in Durban’s Florida Road on February 10, 2023, as he was leaving the Wish Restaurant. His friend, celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane was also murdered.
Cele said the first suspect arrested, was apprehended in April last year, as IOL first reported.
Police management said two of the suspects were brothers from Durban, who were also linked to the murders of Mntimande Kunene, Nhlanhla Ngcobo and Zamokuhle Mkhwanazi-Ngcobo, murders which took place in eManzimtoti and Berea respectively.
Mkhwanazi said the six men arrested included the mastermind, the spotter and the shooter. He said the suspects were linked to the murder including vehicles and ballistics.
Some of the cars were rented, he said.
AKA’s dad, Tony Forbes, who has been grieving his son and has appeared on a number of podcasts recently, said he believed his son’s murder was a well-funded and planned assassination and that he believed the police were very close to cracking the AKA murder investigation.
He made the comments in early February while speaking with Hazel Mahazard on the Within with Hazel podcast. Forbes also shared how he believed his son’s murder was a well planned hit.
The murder of the AKA murder suspects come a year after he was killed.
CCTV Footage
In February last year, IOL News published the CCTV footage of the AKA murder.
The footage can be watched below, but viewers are warned to be aware of the sensitive footage contained in the video.
Police net closing
Earlier this month, national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe revealed publicly that the police had linked identified suspects through their prosecution-driven investigation.
Mathe said some suspects were already in police custody on charges related to other matters while police were “hot on the heels” of other suspects.
Hiding in Eswatini
On Monday, the Eswatini publication, The Times of Swaziland, reported that the alleged hitmen were from Durban and were arrested by Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). They had been renting a flat in Mbabane.
The publication said the two brothers were paid just over R133,000 for their part in the apparent hit.
Police Minister Bheki Cele says he would have hoped that Eswatini authorities would have passed on information before going to the media #AKAInvestigation
— IOL News (@IOL) February 27, 2024
Video: @ViasenS pic.twitter.com/ZR64vxSJZ7
The men are aged 28 and 29 and have already appeared in an Eswatini court prior to their extradition to South Africa.
The suspects will face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and money laundering.
The latest arrests come 11 months after four other suspects were apprehended in March last year at the Erica Square in Belhar in the Western Cape, in connection with the murders.
At the time, IOL reported that the men were all brought to Durban, however, only one suspect lined up in the dock at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on a charge of car-jacking.
IOL News