The father of slain South African rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes has condemned the Madlanga Commission for publicly screening footage of his son’s killing during recent proceedings.
The footage, which shows the fatal shooting of AKA, was presented on Friday during testimony by Sergeant Fannie Nkosi as part of the commission’s ongoing inquiry.
In a letter addressed to the commission on Tuesday, Tony Forbes said he respected its mandate but found the decision to display the video “extremely insensitive and careless”.
He argued that the material was not necessary for the line of questioning being pursued and said a less graphic alternative could have been used.
“It was not necessary in the context of the line of questioning; the question was about why this video was forwarded. Instead, now we must relive all of this, and the whole of South Africa sees my son being shot in cold blood,” he said.
Forbes further questioned the commissioners’ judgement in allowing the footage to be shown publicly.
“I cannot understand how the commissioners, in all their wisdom, have become so hardened that they would so carelessly display that footage. They could have shown a screenshot. I seek an explanation from the commission,” he said.
He also noted that while the video had circulated widely online at the time of the murder, it had since become largely inaccessible for download before being reintroduced in the hearing.
The Madlanga Commission has not yet publicly responded to Forbes’ concerns.