South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has turned down a request for a state funeral for the murdered rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes.
During his lifetime, AKA was a patriot and one of the few celebrities who spoke out against xenophobic attacks in the country.
In light of this, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting permission to hold a state funeral for him.
“We want him to be buried in a secluded venue with leaders and heroes of the society and provide him with security support. We felt a person of this international stature there must be some form of honour,” he said.
Briefing the media, he said the permission was not to have the state take cost of the funeral but to honour the rapper in an unconventional way.
He was seeking for Rapper AKA’s coffin to be adorned with the national flag and the state’s flags should be flown half-mast.
However, their request was turned down for yet-to-be-disclosed reasons.
Meanwhile, a public memorial for Rapper AKA has been slated for Friday, February 17, 2023, followed by his funeral on Saturday.
Rapper AKA’s funeral, which comes a week after his murder, will be live-streamed on his social media platforms.
