The family of the former fiancee of murdered South African rapper, AKA, has denied having a hand in his killing in a drive-by shooting outside a restaurant in Durban last week.
The father of AKA’s estranged fiancee, Anele “Nellie” Tembe, Moses Tembe, in a statement on Thursday, pleaded with social media influencers to stop implicating him and his family in the murder of the rapper.
The Durban-based businessman said there was no way he could have ordered the hit on AKA who was shot dead along with his long-time friend, Tebello “Tibz” Motsoene, outside Wish Restaurant on Florida Road, Durban.
According to Tembe, the hit on AKA and his friend came almost two years after Anele, who was engaged to be married to the musician, died in 2021 after falling from the 10th floor at the Pepper Club Hotel in Loop Street, Cape Town.
Following the assassination of AKA, social media users have been linking Tembe as a possible suspect in the killing which they claim could be in revenge for the death of his daughter who was rumoured to have been pushed to her death by the entertainer following a disagreement.
In the statement, Tembe, said:
“It is with grave concern that my family and I have had to endure a flurry of posts on various social media platforms that accuse me and members of my family of being involved in the death of Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes.
“These accusations are untrue and without substance. I categorically state that my family feel the pain of the Forbes family and would never be involved in an abhorrent act of this nature.
“Whilst I value the principle of freedom of speech, these cruel and libellous utterances inflict personal and emotional harm on us.
“After having to deal with the tragedy of the untimely passing of our daughter, this senseless crime has taken a further emotional toll on us.
“I respectfully request the individuals making these baseless statements to refrain from doing so.”