South African president rejects state funeral bid for rapper

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, has rejected a request for the murdered rapper, Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes to be given a state burial.

During his time alive, AKA held the country at heart and was one of the few celebrities who fought against xenophobic attacks in the country.

It is against this background that Gauteng’s premier Panyaza Lesufi had written 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,” 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 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 AKA has been slated for Friday, February 17, 2023, followed by his funeral on Saturday.

AKA’s funeral, which comes a week after his murder, will be live-streamed on his social media platforms.

africanews