Former minister of police Bheki Cele’s claims that Anele Tembe – the girlfriend of the late rapper AKA, real name Kierna Forbes – was murdered, has reignited the unanswered questions surrounding her death.
And for many, that is – did the 22-year-old young woman jump to her death off her hotel balcony, or was she pushed?
In 2021, Anele – the daughter of businessman Moses Tembe – suffered a fatal fall off the tenth floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. At the time of her death, Anele and AKA, allegedly under the influence of substances, had a heated altercation.
Two years later, AKA was killed in a hail of bullets in an alleged assassination in Durban. The trial of the five suspects charged will begin in July 2026.
BHEKI CELE HINTS ANELE TEMBE WAS MURDERED
Speaking at this week’s Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing alleged police corruption, former Minister of Police Bheki Cele delved into details surrounding Anele Tembe’s death.
He said, “There is an inquest into the death of Moses Tembe’s daughter. The police did the investigation, and they believed that the daughter was murdered.
The retired minister hinted at foul play.
He continued: “They went time and time again to the prosecutor for the things to be enrolled. They would say ‘go back, dot the i’s and cross the t’s’. Until they said, if you can’t do it, give us a [death] certificate. I went to the president personally and said the minister of police is going to do something funny, you need to support the private prosecution. The prosecutor refused to give a [death] certificate
“They can’t prosecute and they can’t give a [death] certificate, so they’re stuck in the middle. Now, I know in that inquest, the magistrate is asking questions… we should ask the prosecutors.”
WHAT HER FAMILY THINKS HAPPENED….
At the time of the incident in April 2021, Anele Tembe and AKA were staying at the five-star Pepperclub Hotel, where the latter had performed in the city amid lockdown restrictions.
According to When Love Kills author Melinda Ferguson, “crazy stuff” happened at the hotel hours before Anele’s death.
She wrote: “Threesomes and foursomes were allegedly happening in some of the rooms. The alcohol continued to flow, and there was drugs aplenty”.
Melinda – who believes Anele was under strong psychiatric medication – allegedly consumed both alcohol and “mood-altering substances” along with AKA.
Images via X
After AKA died in 2023, a leaked letter to the NPA revealed how Anele Tembe’s family suspected the rapper had allegedly pushed her off the hotel balcony.
According to Sunday World, the NPA claimed that the family “made representations” questioning their initial decision not to prosecute anyone following their inquest.
The letter – from the family’s attorneys – also shared their beliefs about what happened during and after Anele’s fatal fall.
This included allegations that AKA:
- Partied and drank AFTER Anele’s death with a group of friends
- IGNORED Anele, who was still alive for 20 minutes after the fall
- He cleaned up blood in the hotel room, possibly concealing an altercation.
- Made a call to reception for assistance AFTER her fall
