Wish Restaurant, the eatery that hosted the tragic murders of Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane will close down for good in a week.
Wish Restaurant announces closure after AKA murder
In a statement released on Monday, 3 April 2023, the restaurant situated on Durban’s popular Florida Road, confirmed its permanent closure “effective [Monday, 10 April 2023].”
“In light of the recent tragic event on our doorstep we have experienced a severe downturn in business which leaves the directors with no other choice but to close the business permanently as the brand equity of Wish on Florida has been deeply hindered,” the restaurant announced.
The black-owned eatery was established in 2019 and, in its infancy, attracted recognition as a premium lifestyle venue. In 2022, Wish on Florida won the Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur Award at the Durban Tourism Business Awards.
However, the monumental efforts of the restaurant’s owners were wholly undone when, on the evening of Friday, 10 February 2023, the venue hosted a gruesome double murder, where one of South Africa’s greatest musicians, AKA, and his longtime friend and manager, Tibz, were viciously gunned down in a coordinated hit that was captured on CCTV.
To commemorate the permanent closure, Wish Restaurant is hosting a series of final activations tagged under the biblical theme ‘The Last Supper’ from Saturday, 7 April 2023, until its last business day on Monday, 10 April 2023.
While little is known about what the future holds for Wish Restaurant’s staff, the eatery paid a special tribute to its workforce for their “outstanding dedication and passion to providing the best service and quality…”
“Our efforts to keep our doors open to ensure the security of your employment has been difficult, and unfortunately, the above-mentioned has led to an untimely farewell…
“Thank you for making Wish on Florida a dream come true,“ the statement read.
Read Wish Restaurant’s full statement below:
What are the latest updates on the double homicide?
Wish’s announcement came on the heels of a whirlwind turn in the AKA murder investigation. On Thursday, 30 March 2023, Advocate Annelene van den Heever, a lawyer who represents four of the five suspects identified by media reports as culprits in the double homicide, rubbished rumours her clients were involved in killing AKA and Tibz.
While several reports emerged at the time, linking the epic take down to ongoing investigations led by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) detectives manning the AKA double murder, Advocate Van Den Heever made it clear her clients were, in no way, charged in connection with the assassination of the Mass Country rapper.
Netwerk24 first linked the five suspects’ arrests to the AKA murder case in an exclusive report published on Sunday, 26 March 2023.
However, Advocate Van Den Heever argued in court, on Thursday, that not only was this fake news but that her clients were unlawfully held longer than 48 hours without being charged.