Malema calls on KZN police to crack AKA's murder case after widely shared CCTV footage

EFF leader Julius Malema has called on KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner of police Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to crack Kiernan “AKA” Forbes' murder case following the widely shared CCTV footage showing him being shot in Florida Road, Durban. 

AKA was gunned down outside a popular restaurant in Durban on Friday evening, a fatal shooting which also resulted in the death of his lifelong friend, wine owner and book author Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.

In the now-viral CCTV footage, AKA can be seen embracing a friend. He shakes hands with the friend before glancing over his shoulder down the street. He returns to his group before a man wearing a white sweater and hat sprints up to him, firing a gun several times.

AKA falls to the ground as everyone else runs away.

“Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, please crack it before the certified fool hijacks it for personal gratification and messes it up by arresting the wrong people for cameras,” said Malema. 

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal called for a team of experienced ballistic experts and IT experts to analyse the footage. 

ANC KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said the party in the region noted the footage circulating on various social media platforms of alleged murderers of the late rapper. 

“The latest footage showing suspects shooting AKA and Tibz at close range warrants the deployment of a team of experienced ballistic experts to ensure the gathering of enough evidence and to carry spot examinations of the crime scene. IT experts must also be assigned to analyse the footage,” he said.

Mkhize said Durban’s nightlife is a catalyst for job creation and a boost for the entertainment industry, and hospitality and tourism sectors. 

“We cannot afford to allow crime to destroy these sectors,” Mkhize said.

“As the ANC in eThekwini region, we are calling upon law enforcement agencies, Business Against Crime and all spheres of government to urgently work together to turn around the situation. Many innocent people have been victims of crimes in various parts of the city, in the townships and suburbs.

“Authorities must take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution and install wi-fi-operated CCTV cameras that identify criminals through face recognition technology and their biometrics before even committing their next crime. These must be installed in our city centre, recreational facilities and in our communities to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.”

Mkhize said the implementation of the SAPS and Municipal (Metropolitan) Police Services Collaboration Strategy must also be strengthened. The strategy focuses on ensuring the streamlining of the work of law-enforcement agencies to win the fight against crime.

He said effective implementation of the strategy would assist in creating a safer city for residents and tourists and no business or potential investor must have any fears about operating in any part of Durban.

“Whilst we give the space to the police investigators to do their work, we are calling upon ANC volunteers to be the ears and eyes on the ground. This gruesome act, which has been committed in our backyard, should not be allowed to go unchallenged as it tarnishes the image of our city.”

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