The memorial service for Forbes, aka Kiernan, is being held today at the Sandton Convention Center. His relatives and friends are there, and the service is broadcast on SABC 1.
People had gathered in long lines to pay their respects.
The actor, whose real name was Kiernan Forbes, was shot dead in Durban a week ago in what the police believe to have been a targeted killing.
Authorities are looking for two guys who were seen on security footage firing the gun.
The memorial service or online coverage of the event are expected to draw large crowds.
Sizwe Dhlomo takes to the stage to tell ‘The AKA Origin Story’.
“We are not here to just praise him but to contextualise the man he was when he wasn’t standing behind the mic,” he says.
– Leandra Engelbrecht
Yanga Chief says he first met Kiernan in 2007 when he was a website administrator. Years later, he met him again and shot a music video for him.
“It was surreal working with Kiernan; he was never satisfied… everything he did was fuelled with ambition.”
He says all of the people AKA worked with became his family; “you cared deeply for your friends.
“Yanga thanks AKA for giving him the validation in the music industry.
“You brought SA hip hop together; you were a legend; you were a giant, and your heart was the biggest.”
Yanga shares that AKA said Nadia saved his life. “To Nadia, thank you for loving my broer and bringing him back to us; he loved you so much.”
– Leandra Engelbrecht
The representative from Sony thanks Kiernan, for sharing the most vulnerable version of himself, for challenging them to be better, for rolling up his sleeves, getting into the trenches, and for being a legend.
Record label executive Raphael Benza says Kiernan entrusted them to make his dream come true.
“We did it one performance, one single, one album drop, one show, and one award at a time. We need your help to make sure that Kiernan’s legacy continues.”
– Leandra Engelbrecht
