Tony Forbes forgives AKA's killers and vows to keep his son's legacy alive in emotional podcast

During a recent guest appearance on the "SMWX" podcast, Tony Forbes, father of the late award-winning rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes, revealed that he has forgiven the men accused of killing his son.

AKA and his friend Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane were shot dead outside the Wish restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, in February 2023. Seven men have been charged with the murders. The men face trial in June 2026. 

"I have forgiven those people. I had not forgiven them before I knew who they were, but now that I know, I have forgiven them, but I'd like to see justice. I need to see justice.

"I have not walked around in the last 2 to 3 years thinking about the case or being angry, because if I did, that's all I would have done, and it would have just consumed me," shared Forbes.

He continued: "I feel we are on the right path. I feel like the police and prosecution have done a tremendous job. I have huge respect for them ... I feel positive about the future, that we tackle crime in this country in such a way that what happened to my son, doesn't happen to other people's children ...

"Other parents have lost multiple children; I am not unique in that sense."

During the conversation with host Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Forbes recalled his bond with his son, AKA, earlier radio appearances, as well as the fateful night he found out that AKA had been shot. 

"I went to sleep about 9pm, and I woke up after 12. Someone was calling my name through the gate. I don't think the bell was working ... I went out and it turned out to be my Godchild, Kiernan's cousin, Talia and her boyfriend.

"Talia held out the phone and said, 'My dad wants to tell you something' ... He just said, 'Tony, I've got bad news, Kiernan's been shot'.

"I remember I had a brief moment where I wanted to ask, 'Is he okay, is he alive?', but Trevor just said that it was fatal. It didn't register for me. I just sat down on the steps right by the gate. I was confused. I didn't break down emotionally.

"Five minutes later, I was on the phone with Steffan (AKA's brother), and then he put his mother (Lynn Forbes) on. I think it was like a good few minutes where we didn't say a word. There were no words to utter, there was nothing," said Forbes.

Forbes shared how he felt a rush of air while he was showering in the early hours of the morning after receiving the devastating news. 

"At around 3am, I went to take a shower. It was a windstill evening, the window was open, and I just got into the shower and I felt this rush of air. I instinctively felt it was Kiernan, who was saying, 'Dad, I'm on the other side, but I'm with you', and to this day, I feel that that was him."

"I'm not ashamed to say that I went to see a medium, and she said to me that it's not unusual when family members die in that way, as they leave this life, from the shock, it's like they are screaming, and it goes to the people who are biologically linked to them."

Travelling to Durban the next day, Forbes faced the heart-wrenching task of identifying his son. He had never experienced the loss of a loved one before and described his nervousness, but also found solace in the support they had received. 

"Those two hours on the plane were just two of the most lonely hours I spent. I had never been to identify anyone in a mortuary, never, and suddenly here I am ... I never dealt with death, but I was able to ...

"I remember seeing him the first time. I was very nervous, but he looked like he was sleeping, and still, I was looking for movement. We saw him again after they worked on him; he looked peaceful.

"What was amazing was how people came around us and supported us. The undertakers paid for everything; we didn't pay a cent. The people at the house, his friends, bought food, drinks, and flowers. As much as it was a very sad time, it just showed how much Kiernan was loved."

As he described the painful experience of selecting a coffin, he shared: "The first time it really hit me was when we had to go select the coffin, and when I saw the coffins, that was the moment. It drove it home to me that this was it."

Reflecting on the inquest regarding Anele Tembe's death, Forbes commented: "When I think of the inquest and Anele and Kiernan, I don't think of us versus them. Anele was good to me when she was alive, just as Kiernan's other partners were to me.

"Her dad, Moses, will tell you, I used to call him, especially on a Sunday, to see how they were doing. I sometimes look at pictures of those two children and I think, 'What a waste, they not here with us anymore'.

"As the inquest should come out, it should be at a place where it's not a competition, it is not about us versus them or Kiernan versus Anele. We need some closure, but we also need to do it in a fair and balanced way.

Speaking about the remarks that former Police Minister Bheki Cele made surrounding Anele Tembe's death, at Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee last week, Forbes said: "His words still carry a lot of weight and there are people out there, and I can see the comments on social media that are now saying, 'Yeah, we always suspected something and that now confirms it'. I feel like his comments has reopened the wounds and it's regrettable ...

"At this moment, I think the NPA should be responding to what the ex Minister had said and set the record straight. My disappointment is that the advocate and her team are quiet. They are saying nothing, and I think that is unfair.

"Our job, as a family, is to protect his (AKA's) legacy, to live his legacy, to enhance his legacy and for us, these statements being made, and basically the nation's being told that 'we thought he murdered her', is harming his legacy. I want the nation to be told the facts." 

Watch the full podcast episode below.