The moment he heard the news – just over a year after his hip-hop icon son was killed – AKA’s father Tony Forbes booked the first flight available from Cape Town to Durban, where AKA was murdered alongside his close friend, Tebello Motsoane, on 10 February 2023.
A year and almost three weeks after the passing of the award-winning rapper, ‘AKA’ Forbes, people who are linked to his murder have been arrested and made their first appearance at the Durban Magistrate's Court earlier this week.
Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi (30), Lindani Ndimande (35) Siyanda Myeza (21), Mziwethemba Gwabeni (36), and Lindokuhle Ndimande (26) are facing charges of conspiracy to murder both Keirnan and Tebello, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and five counts of attempted murder.
It feels prescient to Tony, who – just a few week before SAPS held a press conference to announce developments in the murder case – had looked at his crystal ball, so to speak, and predicted that on 28 January 2025, he and AKA's mom, Lynne, would be looking back on justice finally having been served.
Earlier this week, Tony set foot in Durban for the second time after Chef Tebello Motsoane and AKA were shot after they met outside a Florida Road restaurant on 10 February 2023. Any doting parent might be triggered by having to go back to the place where their child was shot dead, but Tony takes a stoical approach. “Durban didn’t kill Kiernan, but the specific people killed him. I don’t quite have the same emotional block, I am fine. There are a lot of people who supported, still are supporting Kiernan, and have supported us through the tragedy,” he tells Drum.
Read more | Alleged killers of AKA and Tebello Tibz to appear in court on Thursday
“I wanted to be there, I wanted to see their faces. I built up these images in my head of these people who have done this. They didn’t only kill my son, they killed his friend Tibz, they took two lives. I wanted to see that. To start putting faces to the images in my head of the bad guys, if I can call them that. Even if it is the first hearing, for me it is part of a milestone case and part of my closure. The closure is not now, it comes with time, but this is the important part of closure. I want to be able to know who it was and being in that space was important. That is why I came from Cape Town so that I could see them. Two of them were not in court.”
Speaking to Drum while uncertain if he will get a flight back to Cape Town, Tony says he had to be in court even though he was uncertain about where he would spend the night. He says it was important for him to see the faces of the men accused of allegedly killing his son. He says he wants to see them, and particularly the person who shot him in the head.
“I want to see what type of person this is. I want to hear more about these people because, as the court hearings unfold, they will have to divulge more personal details. I want to know who those people are – it is part of my closure. I wanted to come to Durban to see them. When they initially came in, they were wearing masks, covering their faces, I asked the minister and commissioner if that was normal because it didn’t make sense to me that you appear in court, but you don’t show your face.”
The five suspects were compelled by the Magistrates to take off their masks. Tony says they had to and he got his wish of seeing the faces of the men who might have worked together to ensure that his son doesn’t see another day.
“I am not the type of person that is going to shy away from this; it is just the way I deal with it. I want to be at the most important court hearings, I want to hear the details that are my way of dealing with things.
“The process is going to run its course, there’s a lot of evidence that is collected the team has to build on that information. Follow up on the information that is at hand, like the money that was paid to the coordinator, they must find the money trail. Where does that money come from? Who paid it to the coordinator?
“What I found very interesting in court is that these accused seemed to be very well represented legally with highly qualified experienced people with resources. How do they afford that? I wish that on cases that when people are found guilty of committing crimes, crimes like this they must receive a punishment that is equal to the crime. I would like the process to be followed, my son was well assassinated, and criminals have to pay for what they have done. That is all I am looking for.”
While Tony is relieved there is some progress in the investigation, he maintains that the wheels of justice have been steadily turning, as the murder plot doesn't just involve one criminal.
“I want to give recognition to the investigating team that has worked very hard to get us to this milestone. My journey with the investigating team, staying in touch with them, understanding the progress, and some of the difficulties are the people I walked this path with over the last 12 months. I am truly grateful to them. I sense that the team has done the best they could given the circumstances.”
Tony adds he is marking 29 February as an important milestone. He also believes that there is more information to be gathered but, ultimately, he doesn’t just want the people who did the shooting to be the only ones in court but the person who planned the murder too.
“I do not share the sentiment that the police have been dragging their feet doing nothing. The journey started the very next day after Kiernan passed, I have walked that path with the investigation team and that is what I am focused on. Of course, the politicians want to show the public that work has been done.”
In the past 12 months, AKA fans and supporters have been critical of the police because there are so many cases that die in the wind. And with the recent arrests, Tony says he is aware of what was said about the police and he understands.
Read more | My first Christmas without AKA – Lynn Forbes on her holidays this year
“Years ago, I lost an uncle, and his killers have not been found till this day. I didn’t want to experience it again, and I am glad that we are at this point in my son’s case. No one deserves to know the killers of their loved ones”
Twelve months later, Tony is still battling to get used to the fact that he will never see Kiernan again.
“It becomes harder on some days. It doesn’t get easier and, maybe, I have learned to come to terms with it. But it has left a huge hole in my heart.
“My way of grieving is not me spending a lot of time alone to grieve on my own. There are days when I get up in the morning, get ready, and tell myself that I will be able to accomplish a lot of things on that day.
“But as soon as I come out of the bathroom, grab a cup of coffee, and sit quietly, I then remember the reality. It drains my energy. I go through emotions, I cry, and, for me, that is part of what has to happen.”
Going out and facing the public, meeting fans and people who are eager to tell him what AKA meant to them also helps Tony to be grateful and proud of who Kiernan was.
“I need that for my grieving. It helps me. I do not put my grieving aside; it is part of grieving to hear about the love people have for my son and how he changed people’s lives.”
