Late South African rapper Kiernan Forbes, better known as AKA, was tragically shot and killed in February 2023 in Durban. Since then, his family has continued to mourn his loss while calling for respect and sensitivity around his death.
Recently, Tony Forbes, AKA’s father, publicly criticised the Madlanga Commission for airing footage of his son’s murder.
As reported by eNCA, on 20 March 2026 the commission showed video footage of AKA’s killing, during testimony from Sergeant Fannie Nkosi. The video captured the moment AKA was tragically shot. For Tony Forbes, seeing the video aired publicly was both shocking and deeply upsetting.
AKA’S FATHER CALLS FOOTAGE INSENSITIVE AND CARELESS
In a letter to the commission on 24 March 2026, Tony Forbes said he respected the commission’s work but found the public display of the footage “extremely insensitive and careless.”
“I think for me it’s a complete lack of sensitivity and just being very careless at how that footage was shown. It was not necessary in the context of the line questioning; the question was about why this video was forwarded. Instead, now, we must go through all of this and the whole of South Africa sees my son being shot in cold blood,” Forbes said.
He added: “I cannot understand how the commissioners in all their wisdom have become so hardened that they would just carelessly display that footage. They could’ve shown a screenshot. That for me is the disappointment. I seek an explanation from the commission about this.”
Forbes also noted that while the video had circulated online immediately after AKA’s death, it was later mostly unavailable for download. This made the commission’s public airing particularly distressing, as many believed the footage had been largely removed from the public access.
AKA’s family has continued to mourn his loss while calling for respect and sensitivity around his death.