A businessman who is a member of a powerful South African family has been linked to the murder of popular rapper AKA.

AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tibz Motsoane, were gunned down outside a restaurant in Durban on February 10 last year.

A statement presented to the court by the investigating officer said that a company owned by businessman Sydney Mfundo Gcaba allegedly sent over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of one of the suspects currently on trial over the rapper's killing.

The payment was allegedly made a day after AKA's murder.

The prosecutor, citing phone records, also said that the suspect who received the money, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, allegedly called Mr Gcaba before the transaction was completed.

Mr Gcaba has yet to comment on the prosecutor's statement.

The prosecutor alleges that the money was split equally between the seven suspects.

In an affidavit, Mr. Gwabeni said he received the funds as payment for consultation services he provided to the company.

However, the prosecutor argued that there's no evidence showing that Mr Gwabeni provided any services to the company to warrant the payment.

Mr Gcaba is a member of the powerful Gcaba family, which owns a taxi empire and several other businesses in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province and across South Africa.

A motive for his alleged involvement in AKA's murder is yet to be established.