A Deadly Transaction| Here Is How Much The Hitmen Who Took Out AKA Were Paid
According to a taxi boss who has knowledge of how the hitmen industry operates, those who are responsible for carrying out the hit on rapper AKA in KwaZulu-Natal were possibly paid around R250,000.
In an extensive interview conducted by TimesLIVE, the taxi owner, who is familiar with the izinkabi (assassin) trade in iSiZulu, provided insights into how the industry operates.
The investigation indicates that hitmen typically charge anywhere between R10,000 for an ordinary individual without a bodyguard, to as much as R500,000 or even a million rands for more high-risk targets.
On 10 February, South African rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were shot and killed by two unidentified attackers outside a restaurant on Florida Road in Durban.
AKA had been in the city to perform at his birthday party.
The taxi boss revealed that three people most likely executed the AKA hit:
“He was a popular musician who was always with people. You need someone to drive the getaway car. You need someone who will be where AKA is, giving you details about what he is doing. Then you need the hitman to pull the trigger.
“The more dangerous you are, the more costly the services. It can go all the way to R500,000 or even a million, depending on how dangerous the person is. Some assassinations are so complex they can take six months to execute. If you want to kill someone who has a lot of bodyguards, that hit cannot be done in just a few weeks.”
In order to reduce the risk of being killed, the contract killers must gather as much information as possible about their intended victim.
According to the taxi boss, the individuals responsible for killing AKA and Tibz are seasoned professionals, as they were able to target and eliminate only two people out of a larger group.
The taxi owner further emphasized that the hitmen are probably well-known in KZN, as the assassin industry operates through a network.
According to TimesLIVE, this network is continually expanding, with young men being recruited and trained to carry out hits in various scenarios, including taxi conflicts, political clashes, and even dubious commercial transactions.
Since November 2022, AKA is the third musician to have been killed, following the deaths of DJ Sumbody, whose real name was Oupa John Sefoka, and Itumeleng “Vusi Ma R5” Mosoeu, who was shot and killed last month and was also known as the “President of Barcadi”.