South African copson Wednesday arrested another suspect (now seven) connected with the murder of popular rapper Kiernan Forbes, mostly known as AKA, and his close friend, celebrity chef and entrepreneur Tebello “Tibz” Motshoane.
This comes after police announced that six others were arrested over the course of a year-long investigation.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said,”the 30-year-old suspect was arrested today (Wednesday). The arrest brings the total number of suspects arrested for the murders to seven,” .
Col. Netshiunda added that five of the seven people would appear in court on Thursday.
Kiernan Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motshoane were murdered on February 10, 2023, while walking with a friend outside a popular Durban restaurant hours before he was to perform at a nearby club.
“It was clear that AKA was monitored from the airport and Tibz was not the intended target in the murder on Florida Road in Durban. We know they were paid for this,” KwaZulu-Natal provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said Tuesday night.
AKA started his musical profession as part of the rap group ‘Entity’ before he ventured into a lone career.
Until his demise, he won several awards in South Africa and was lauded globally.
Kiernan Forbes earned Black Entertainment Television and MTV Europe nominations and he was honoured posthumously in the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates with a number of entertainment stars among the victims.
Recall that in 2007, reggae singer Lucky Dube was dropping off his teenage son at a relative’s home when gunmen shot him three times during a failed attempt to steal his car.
