A prominent member of a powerful South African family has been implicated in the murder of popular rapper AKA.
AKA, whose real name is Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend Tibz Motsoane were fatally shot outside a restaurant in Durban on February 10th of last year.
An investigating officer presented a statement to the court alleging that a company owned by businessman Sydney Mfundo Gcaba transferred over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of one of the current suspects on trial for the rapper’s murder.
This payment was reportedly made just one day after AKA’s tragic death.
The prosecutor, referencing phone records, also claimed that the suspect who received the funds, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, made a call to Mr. Gcaba before the transaction was finalized.
At this time, Mr. Gcaba has not publicly commented on the prosecutor’s assertions.
The prosecutor alleges that the money was then divided equally among seven suspects.
Mr. Gwabeni stated in an affidavit that he received the payment for consultancy services rendered to the company. However, the prosecutor argues that there is no evidence to support this claim.
Mr. Gcaba is a member of the influential Gcaba family, which holds interests in a taxi business and other ventures in the KwaZulu-Natal province and across South Africa.
As of now, no clear motive for his alleged connection to AKA’s murder has been established.
