๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐โ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ
South Africaโs influential Gcaba family has denied speculation that one of its members was involved in the murder of popular rapper AKA.
AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tibz Motsoane, were shot dead outside a restaurant in Durban in February last year.
Last Wednesday, prosecutors in the trial of the rapperโs suspected killers implicated Sydney Mfundo Gcaba, a member of the Gcaba family, in the rapperโs killing.
A statement presented to court by the investigating officer alleged that one of Mr Gcabaโs companies sent over 800,000 rand ($42,000; ยฃ33,000) to the bank account of Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, one of the suspects being tried for the rapperโs murder.
Reports that the payment was made a day after AKAโs murder fuelled suspicion that Mr Gcaba might have paid the suspects for the murder.
The prosecutor also argued that there was no proof that Mr Gwabeni provided services in exchange for the money.
But in a statement issued on Sunday, the Gcaba family said that the payment was part of several transactions between Mr Gcaba and Mr Gwabeni, which were โpurely for business purposesโ.
โThese numerous transactions over a long period of time can be verified through bank records and were neither unique nor isolated,โ the familyโs statement said.
The family added that it was โconcernedโ that authorities have not asked Mr Gcaba to share his side of the story, but that he was ready to clear his name.
