‘In my absence, protocol was breached’ — AKA’s bodyguard speaks about fateful night

With investigations into the murder of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes still ongoing, the late rapper's bodyguard, Anwar “Dogg” Khan, has opened up about his death, , claiming protocol was breached on that fateful night.

AKA was gunned down outside a popular restaurant on Durban’s Florida Road last month. The shooting also resulted in the death of his friend, celebrity chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.

Speaking on e.tv's My Guest Tonight with Annika Larsen, Khan said there were no plans for AKA to go to Florida Road that night. 

Khan said had he known AKA was going to the restaurant he would not have recommended it. 

“In my absence, protocol was breached. Kiernan was called and invited to go to Florida Road’s Wish restaurant, which he accepted and he went. Had I been there, that protocol would not have been breached, simply because that call would’ve came through the road manager,” he said.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, AKA’s business partner and Vth Season record label executive Raphael Benza said he had no comment on the claims.

Police have also yet to respond to a request for comment. Any update will be included once received.

Khan is the owner of the Pentagon Group bodyguard service. He took care of AKA’s security in Durban for the past eight years. 

He said if he was with the Fela In Versace hit maker on the night he was expected to make an appearance at YūGō social club there would have been restricted movement. 

Khan told the Sunday Times last month AKA had received threats and so extra precautions had been made. 

“Everyone throws threats around in KwaZulu-Natal but once someone is threatened, we take it seriously. AKA did not take on any gigs for a couple of months ... I strengthened his security and reduced his movements.

“But even with all those restricted movements there were times when we had gigs, where AKA would fly in, go straight to the performance and then go straight back to either a private jet or take a late flight straight out of KwaZulu-Natal.” 

Speaking to media after the ministerial imbizo on fighting crime and gangsterism in Westbury, Johannesburg, police minister Bheki Cele said he was receiving daily updates on AKA’s case.

“It is a matter that we cannot let rest. Unfortunately, we can’t be giving you the blow-by-blow of what is happening but the progress is absolutely there,” he said.

“There are maybe things I’m not supposed to say, but ... we have collected a lot of cellphones that we’re working [on] and downloading [data], and trying to put things together. "

He said that’s the information he received at 10pm on Monday. “The progress is there.”

Cele said he was confident police would crack the case.

“It is not with the speed the community would have loved and the nation would have loved to see us reacting, but mark this space, we are cracking the case.”

TimesLIVE ran a poll asking readers if they believed police will solve AKA’s assassination.

68% of readers said police “couldn’t solve a five-piece puzzle”, while 20% said the killers had probably covered their tracks.

12% were confident police would solve the murder.

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