AKA gives students R100k, 500 burgers

Rapper AKA has donated R100,000 to the Wits University 2SRC humanitarian fund in solidarity with the students following recent protests.

Hundreds gathered outside the university's Great Hall steps just after lunch time waiting in anticipation for Super Mega, as he's affectionately known, who had promised to deliver 500 burgers to them at lunch time.

The much-awaited burgers and fries only arrived around 4pm when most of the students had given up.

"I skipped my class, where are the burgers?" one student said before leaving.

Another said: "We have lectures to go to. Where are the burgers? What's so difficult about getting burgers to come here? We came here with so much energy."

AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, arrived one hour and 20 minutes late for his appearance and quickly apologised for his tardiness before he was mobbed by fans.

He delivered a two-minute speech about standing in solidarity with students - ending with the Struggle war cry "Amandla!"

Sporting his signature blonde hair; AKA posed with the cheque, took group selfies with students and quickly disappeared inside the building.

"I just want to say thank you for coming out. We are not going to take too long. I just want to let you guys know we are thinking about you," he said. "The reason that we are doing what we are doing today is not to look like a hero, it's because we want people like me to do the same thing."

He said he and fellow artists, "needed [you] guys you are there for us, we want you to know we are here for you too".

"No institution or political party is going to have all the answers, all we can try to do is help one another," AKA said.

"Let's get us some food. We stand in solidarity with the students, we feel your pain."

Some of the star-struck students chased after him, but were denied access by security into the building.

SRC fundraising officer Solomzi Moleketi said the collaboration with AKA has been in the works for a week and started on social media.

"Yes there is publicity involved, but at the same time we are trying to bring the right kind of attention to the campus," Moleketi said.

"Because a lot of the time we get told that we are people that enjoy striking.

"We would like to show that there is a variety of means and processes that we go through to combat the everyday student's challenges."