Tony Forbes Voices ‘Extreme Disappointment’ After Madlanga Commission Airs Footage of AKA’s Final Moments
Tony Forbes Voices ‘Extreme Disappointment’ After Madlanga Commission Airs Footage of AKA’s Final Moments. In a poignant letter that lays bare the enduring pain of a father’s loss, Tony Forbes, the father of slain South African rap icon Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, has slammed the Madlanga Commission for what he describes as a “careless” and “insensitive” decision to broadcast graphic footage of his son’s assassination during public hearings last week
Forbes, who has long sought justice for AKA and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane – gunned down in a brazen hit outside a Durban restaurant in February 2023 – expressed extreme disappointment in a formal complaint sent to the commission on Tuesday. While acknowledging the important work of probing alleged corruption and criminal infiltration in South Africa’s justice system, he argued that replaying the harrowing video crossed a deeply personal line.
“I cannot understand how the commissioners in all their wisdom have become so hardened that they would just carelessly display that footage,” Forbes wrote. “They could have shown a screenshot.” He added that the decision showed no consideration for his loved ones, forcing the family – and the entire nation – to relive the trauma as the clip of AKA being shot in cold blood aired repeatedly.
The footage surfaced during testimony by Sergeant Fannie Nkosi (known in some contexts as Witness F) on Friday. It was played in the context of questioning how and why the video of the murder had been circulated. Forbes noted that while the graphic material flooded the internet in the immediate aftermath of the killing on Florida Road, it had largely become unavailable for download in the years since, making its sudden return to national television screens all the more jarring.
The Madlanga Commission, formally the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2025. Chaired by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, it is examining explosive allegations of syndicate infiltration into policing, prosecution, intelligence, and the judiciary. AKA’s murder case has intersected with these proceedings amid broader claims of compromised investigations and organised crime links.
Yet for Forbes, the pursuit of systemic truth has collided painfully with private grief. “It was not necessary in the context of the line of questioning,” he stated in the letter. “The question was about why this video was forwarded. Instead, now, we must live through all of this.”
AKA, born Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, was just 35 when he and Motsoane were killed in what police described as a targeted, well-planned assassination. The rapper had been in Durban for birthday celebrations and a performance when the attackers struck outside Wish on Florida restaurant. Multiple suspects, including brothers linked to the case, face trial in the Durban High Court later this year on charges including murder and conspiracy.