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The South African Presidency has denied the request from the Guanteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s administration which proposed that Kiernan “AKA” Forbes get a state funeral.
Lesufi visited the Forbes family on Tuesday and admitted to having written to President Cyril Ramaphosa in the hope that the provincial coffers will assist the family in ensuring the award-winning singer receives a suitable send-off.
According to reports, the late rapper’s province-state burial was requested by the office of Guanteng Premier Panyaza Lusuif, with the South African flag placed over his coffin and flown at half-mast.
This request, however, was turned down for an unexplained reason.
Lesufi told reporters his intentions in further detail, “We felt that a person of this international stature… there must be some form of honour and we want to clarify that it was not a financial contribution, but it was an honour of draping the coffin, ensuring the flag flies at half-mast, and ensuring that it [is] a befitting funeral. Even though we didn’t succeed on that front, we will continue in making a hero safe. We will also provide security support for the family and ensure that the family feels our support and our comfort.”
Meanwhile, a public memorial for AKA held on Friday, and his funeral is slated for Saturday.
In a video that went viral on Instagram, the late rapper’s daughter, Kairo, was seen weeping at the public memorial held for him.
AKA’s burial, which comes a week after his murder, would be live-streamed on his social media accounts.
On February 10, 2023, AKA and his longtime friend and famous chef Tebello Motsoane were both fatally shot in a popular nightclub in Florida Road, Durban.