‘We are still feeling so much pain,’ says Anele Tembe’s father

THREE years ago, Anele Tembe’s death sent shockwaves through the nation.

At just 22, the fiancée of late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes fell to her death in April 2021 from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town.

The question of whether she jumped or was pushed is still circulating, with multiple delays in court proceedings on the matter.

Speaking about the case for the first time, Moses Tembe (Anele’s father) sat down with SABC’s Chriselda Zozi Lewis for a tell-all.

“We are still feeling so much pain, we are still feeling so much anguish over the passing of our daughter, Anele ... Our hearts remain shattered into pieces,” he said.

The interview took place at a library in Anele’s former school, which has been named in her honour.

Moses said: “Anele was a lively child ... She was always positively disposed, she loved reading, she loved sport, she knew what she wanted in life.

“So as a family, when we reflected on what we could do to keep her legacy and spirit alive, we could not find a project more appropriate than doing this library.”

Reflecting on the day he heard about her death, Moses said: “We were preparing to go to church when my family came to deliver the news ... I was gutted. That feeling that someone is taking the guts out of your stomach.

“What made it worse was that I was in Durban and could not be there.”

He shared that seeing his daughter “covered in foil” on TV was a traumatic experience. At the time, the family were told that she fell and that she was alive for 20 minutes before she died.

“I knew her plans. She was looking forward to the next chapter of her life. I also knew the way she loved herself. She would not strip naked and throw herself down, so at the time one got a sense that there could be foul play.”

Moses added that police have kept them informed on developments in the case.

“At the time, there was an expectation that there will be prosecution. We were not judging at the time. We looked forward to that prosecution which would have led to closure.

“The police never told us who was going to be prosecuted. The police advised us that they had a strong case.”

Moses added that it was critical for AKA to be questioned in court, either as a witness or as an accused.

“For our closure, the last person who was with our daughter must be present.”

He said the Tembe family had accepted AKA as Anele’s fiancée and as a son.

“I like Kiernan. He never put his foot wrong in front of me ... I object to anyone saying Kiernan killed our daughter, I’m saying we need to lead evidence and the evidence will tell us exactly what happened.”

Regarding him being accused by people on social media of being behind the killing of the awardwinning rapper, Moses said that it was unfortunate and that the police have not questioned him.