‘You didn’t kill yourself’: Anele Tembe remembered on 5th anniversary
· The South African
Anele Tembe has been remembered on the fifth anniversary of her death, just days after news that an inquest would be heard in court.
The young qualified chef – the fiancée of the late rapper AKA, or Kiernan Forbes – suffered a fatal fall off the tenth floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town in 2021.
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Tragically, two years later, Forbes was gunned down in Durban en route to a gig. Five men have been arrested on charges of murder.
ANELE TEMBE REMEMBERED ON DEATH ANNIVERSARY
In a Facebook post, author Melinda Ferguson paid tribute to Anele Tembe on the fifth anniversary of her death.
Alongside a picture of the young woman and her father, businessman Moses Tembe, Melinda shared: “Thinking of you today. Thinking of your father, Moses and all your family and loved ones. I am so sorry your end had to be so brutal.
Melinda – who penned the 2024 biography When Love Kills: The Tragic Tale of AKA and Anele – referenced her late partner, Mathias De Fleuriot, who recently died of a heart attack.
She continued: “He was at my side when I wrote my book When Love Kills. He always knew you didn’t kill yourself. I hope you are flying free”.
Melinda’s book told the story of AKA and Anele Tembe’s rocky relationship, which was filled with reports of toxic jealousy, obsession, infidelity, possible substance abuse and domestic abuse.
The award-winning author and journalist has spoken about her own beliefs that Anele did not jump to her death at the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. She claimed that the young woman’s death was a “terrible mistake” after things got “out of control” between her and her rapper fiancé.
Thinking of you today, Anele Tembe. Thinking of your father Moses and all your family and loved ones I am so sorry your…
Posted by Melinda Ferguson on Friday 10 April 2026
INQUEST VS MURDER TRIAL
Meanwhile, Anele Tembe’s inquest report will be heard at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court over the course of three days in July.
Six witnesses are expected to testify.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “It is the findings of that inquest that will determine a way forward on how this matter is being moved forward”.
In the months that followed Anele Tembe’s death, her partner AKA was accused of being involved, a claim he vehemently denied. At the time of his own death, a leaked letter to the NPA revealed how the Tembe family suspected the rapper of foul play.
According to Sunday World, the NPA responded by saying Anele Tembe’s death would be revisited. They also claimed that the family “made representations” questioning their initial decision not to prosecute anyone following their inquest.
Five men accused of the murder of AKA will also go on trial in July.