South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected a request to have slain rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes to be given a state burial.
Gauteng’s premier Panyaza Lesufi wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting permission to give him a state funeral.
“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,” Lesufi said.
Briefing the media, Lesufi said the permission was not to have the state take cost of the funeral but to honour the rapper in an unconventional way.
Lesufi was seeking for AKA’s coffin to be adorned with the national flag and the state’s flags should be flown half-mast.
However, Lesufi’s request was turned down for yet-to-be-disclosed reasons.
A public memorial for AKA was held on Friday, February 17, 2023. The slain rapper will be buried on Saturday, the funeral service will be live-streamed on his social media platforms.
