Malema Reveals Secret Police Briefing On AKA’s Murder Case: “Bheki Cele Will Tamper With Evidence”
Malema Reveals Secret Police Briefing On AKA’s Murder Case: “Bheki Cele Will Tamper With Evidence.” South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has made a startling claim that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi personally assured him the suspects in the 2023 murder of rapper Kiernan AKA Forbes have already been arrested.
However, they are being held on other charges while police finalise a strong case linking them to the high-profile killing.
Speaking on Radio 702, Malema described how his public criticism of the investigation prompted an urgent, private meeting with the provincial police chief.
“I went to a rally in KZN, and I criticised him about ’s murder,” Malema told the station. “I said, ‘Mkhwanazi, our favourite provincial commissioner. I love him so much. But I’m beginning to have doubts because he’s not making a move on AKA’s case.’”
He described the murder as a national embarrassment: a killer gunning down one of South Africa’s biggest entertainment stars “in front of a camera” while the country’s policing system appeared powerless to deliver justice.
The criticism clearly stung. According to Malema, Mkhwanazi reached out through an intermediary he referred to only as “Khan”.
“The sensitive Mkhwanazi didn’t take that criticism. He called Khan and asked for a meeting with me,” Malema said. “Khan called me and said, ‘There’s this guy who is asking to see you.’ Mkhwanazi comes with Khan – that’s when he gave me a brief about AKA’s case.”
What the commissioner allegedly revealed next was explosive.
“He said the guys are arrested, but they are not arrested because of AKA’s case; they are arrested because of something else,” Malema continued. “Just at the tail end of finishing the evidence on AKA’s matter, then I’m going to charge them with AKA’s matter. But I would not reveal it because if I reveal it, Bheki Cele is going to tamper with this evidence and mess up this case.”
Malema’s revelation paints a picture of deep distrust within the police hierarchy itself. The EFF leader, who has long positioned himself as a vocal critic of Minister of Police Bheki Cele, suggested the commissioner feared political interference from the very top of the SAPS if the AKA investigation became public too soon.
The murder of AKA and his friend Tebogo “TBG” Ndlovu outside Durban’s Wish Restaurant in February 2023 shocked the nation. The brazen drive-by shooting was captured on CCTV, fuelling public outrage over what many saw as a failing criminal justice system. Despite several arrests linked to the case over the past three years, no one has yet been formally charged with the rapper’s murder in open court.
Malema said he had initially praised Mkhwanazi as one of the more effective provincial commissioners, but had grown impatient with the lack of visible progress.
“I love him so much,” he repeated, his tone laced with sarcasm. “But I’m beginning to have doubts.”
The EFF leader’s disclosure on Radio 702 is likely to reignite debate over political meddling in police investigations and the slow wheels of justice in high-profile cases. Neither the SAPS nor Minister Cele had responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
In the streets of KZN and beyond, many South Africans who watched AKA rise from township stages to global stardom continue to wait for answers – and, they hope, justice. Malema’s account suggests that, behind closed doors, even some senior police officers believe the wait may be deliberate.
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