Kiernan Forbes, one of South Africa’s most popular rappers, known by the stage name AKA, was shot and killed leaving a restaurant in Durban, in the southeast of the country, his family on Saturday. “It is with extreme sadness that we learn of the passing of our beloved son,” at age 35, his parents, Tony and Lynn Forbes, wrote on their Twitter account.
AKA has won numerous awards in his country and was nominated once for an MTV Europe Music Award.
He was killed on Friday evening, along with another man who was at his side, as they had just left a restaurant and were walking towards their car. “They were reportedly approached by two armed suspects who crossed the street towards them and shot the victims at close range,” police said in a statement. The motive is, for the time being, unknown, and the police have opened an investigation.
Shootings are common in South Africa, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Many people are licensed to carry firearms for personal protection, but an even greater number of illegal guns are in circulation.
