Pearl Thusi’s Daughter Thando Mokoena Talks About Her Relationship With AKA

Pearl Thusi’s Daughter Thando Mokoena Talks About Her Relationship With AKA

  • Pearl Thusi's daughter recently opened up about her close relationship with the late rapper AKA
  • Thando Mokoena spoke in an interview about the fatherly role the late rapper played in her life and how his death has affected her
  • Her message touched many people who are still battling with the reality of the rapper's passing
Thando Mokoena said she wishes she could bring AKA back to life
Pearl Thusi’s daughter Thando Mokoena opened up about her close relationship with the late rapper AKA. Image: pearlthusi
Source: Instagram

Pearl Thusi's daughter, Thando Mokoena, revealed in an interview that, like her mother, she too had a very close relationship with the late Kiernan "AKA" Forbes.

The 35-year-old rapper was assassinated in Durban on 10 February 2023 along with his former manager, Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane. During his time dating the mother of his daughter, DJ Zinhle, he became close friends with Pearl Thusi.

So, it was no surprise that Thando was exposed to her mom's celebrity friends from a young age.

She was asked in an interview on 2 September 2025 about whom she would bring back to life if she had the power to, and she named her Uncle, Kiernan.

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Thando opened up about her close bond with the Congratulate hitmaker and the fatherly role he played in her life:

"He taught me a lot of things about religion and respect. He was another type of father figure that I needed in my life. He wasn't funny with me because he treated me like his daughter, so he was very serious.
Thando Mokoena spoke about her close relationship with AKA
Pearl Thusi’s daughter, Thando Mokoena, says AKA played a fatherly role in her life. Image: pearlthusi
Source: Instagram

She went on to say that she wished she had shown and expressed her appreciation to AKA, feeling as though she was never expressive when he was alive. Visibly heartbroken, Thando said the rapper's life was cut far too soon:

"He needed to make more music. He had a lot more plans to execute and a lot of things to do in life."

The video was shared by TikTok content creator Romeo Black and garnered hundreds of reactions from heartbroken fans.

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Fans react to Thando Mokoena's interview

Many online users were surprised to learn about AKA and Thando's close relationship, while others continue to express grief at the rapper's untimely death. Read some of their comments below:

justmetheonetheonly was shocked:

"Wait, does she mean AKA?"

lesedi was shattered:

"Zulu people have really let me down."

Rohangwelwa_ was touched:

"I remember her face at the memorial service; she was shattered."

_zebramarked said:

"We were robbed!"
Fans continue to grieve for AKA
Thando Mokoena's interview was a stark reminder to fans about AKA's death. Image: akaworldwide
Source: Instagram

Tia-@ wrote:

"I wish AKA was still here, too, especially for Kairo."

nay_nay posted:

"I think about him often. It's still so sad."

nomfisogatshenie added:

"And I was playing Fela In Versace yesterday. They really did a number on us."

Sne Mpungose was heartbroken:

"And I'll just keep crying over AKA, someone whom I've never met before."

AKA's mom dreams about late rapper

In more AKA updates, Briefly News shared a message from the rapper's mother, Lynn Forbes, who opened up about dreaming about him.

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The businesswoman and content creator spoke about her son often visiting her in her dreams and telling her about how he is doing.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Moroba Moroeng avatar

Moroba Moroeng (Entertainment editor) Moroba Moroeng is an entertainment writer at Briefly News and a University of Johannesburg alumni (Public Relations and Communications, 2018). She was the content manager and, later, editor for HipHop Africa, where she honed her proofreading, leadership, and content management skills. Having begun her career as a content writer for Slikour OnLife, Moroba has over four years of experience as a writer specialising in music journalism and entertainment. She joined Briefly News in 2023 and passed a set of training courses by the Google News Initiative. Email: moroba.moroeng@briefly.co.za