Forbes family slam book as ‘distasteful and opportunistic’

THE parents of late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes have distanced themselves from Melinda Ferguson’s new book, When Love Kills: The tragic tale of AKA and Anele, describing it as “distasteful and opportunistic”.

With the book set for release this week, excerpts have since been published which provide details about the couple’s fractured relationship.

It also describes how, just a month after paying lobola for Anele Tembe, she had allegedly thrown her engagement ring at AKA the night before she died.

The book shares details about Tembe being uneasy about DJ Zinhle, the mother of AKA’s daughter, Kairo. It is alleged the couple had been arguing about her the night before she died.

Tembe’s father, Moses, is quoted as saying that his daughter had reported that the late rapper was allegedly hurting her, but he admits he did not intervene.

“I should have done something more,” he is quoted as saying. “I live with so many regrets because of this.”

On Monday, the Forbes family, through AKA’s parents, Tony and Lynn Forbes, issued a statement, saying they were not associated with the book in any way.

“When Melinda reached out to us, we respectfully and rightfully declined to contribute to her book,” they said.

“At this stage, we cannot give any further comment on the book as we are unaware of its contents. We do however find the intended publication of the book and the timing distasteful and opportunistic.”

Ferguson last week confirmed the book’s release after news of it was leaked on social media. Responding on Facebook at the time, she said she spoke intensively to both sides of the families and received permission from Tembe’s father.

In a separate post following the mixed reaction to the book, Ferguson explained why she wrote the book on the tragedy of the couple.

“I wrote this book in an attempt to try and understand a story about two people who fell down a rabbit hole of toxic love.

“Something kept driving me to keep on in search of some kind of truth around what happened. And why they were now both dead ...

“I have been through my own kind of hell in my life as an addict and as someone who has embarked on dangerous and obsessive relationships. Their story spoke to me. It literally broke my heart.

“While researching and writing, I found it especially tragic that Anele, who had just turned 22 when she died, has no actual voice in this book.

“Besides a few utterings on social media, there are no records of any of her statements or interviews in the public realm.

“She had yet to make her mark, so I had to rely on what other people have said about a significant character in this story.

“In the last moments of Anele’s life, as she lay on the tar after she had plummeted from the 10th storey of the Pepperclub in Cape Town, she silently mouthed the words ‘Please help me’.

“As I got deeper and deeper into my writing, I felt her call grow louder and louder,” read the post from Ferguson.