Moses Tembe, the father of the late Anele Tembe, revealed that their family had “strong evidence” suggesting that she had not taken her own life while in the company of her fiancé AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes.
The shocking revelation was made in Melinda Ferguson’s book When Love K888l: The Tragic Tale of AKA and Anele.
The book comes amid an inquest for the 22-year-old woman who fell off the tenth floor of the Pepperclub Hotel on 11 April 2021. It also coincides with charges of murder against seven men accused of murdering AKA in an “assassination” on 10 February 2023.
MOSES TEMBE ON ‘EVIDENCE’
According to Moses Tembe’s account in When Love K888s, on the eve of his daughter’s funeral, he received a preliminary police report relating to her death.
He said: “I got the reports that gave me the dull evidence of what had really happened on the night before my daughter’s funeral.
“Look, it was 99% sure that Anele did not k88 herself”
The Durban businessman would go on to deny that Anele was suicidal and that substance abuse was possibly at play in a letter read out at her funeral, reported the Sowetan.
anele tembe, moses tembe, hilton hotel
Moses Tembe has rubbished reports his daughter Anele Tembe wanted to jump off the ledge of the Hilton Hotel in 2020. Images via Instagram: @akaworldwide/X: @clrd_the
In a leaked letter to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Tembe family documented the “evidence” that they believed AKA had “pushed” Anele off the balcony. The letter was sent two weeks after the NPA informed the family in June 2022 that they would not be prosecuting anyone in the death of Anele Tembe, namely AKA.
According to the Citizen, the letter had damning accusations against AKA and his alleged involvement in Anele’s death.
This included included reports of:
Blood in the Pepperclub Hotel room and on clothing, and scratches on AKA’s back, indicating a violent altercation between the couple.
They said blood was found on towels, alluding that AKA had “cleaned up” after Anele’s fall.
There was no fingerprint evidence on the balcony, which Anele was reported to have climbed over.
Forensic evidence that Anele landed a distance away from the hotel, indicating that she had been pushed and not jumped.
Sharing his “theory” in the book, Moses Tembe said: “I believe Anele ended the relationship with him… Controlling men can’t handle women who stand up to them”.
MOSES TEMBE RUBBISHES AKA ‘MASTERMIND’ SPECULATION
After AKA’s murder in 2023, Moses Tembe had his IT team investigate the origins of social media rumours that painted him as the mastermind of the rapper’s death.
Moses claims that there was an “orchestrated operation” with “a lot of money behind it” in place to “divert attention away from the real killers and onto me.”
Amid the speculation, the Tembe family issued a statement condemning those who made such allegations.
He also claimed that the Tembe family did not harbour any bad intentions towards AKA.
He continued: “If any family wanted Kiernan Forbes alive, it was the Tembes. We wanted a live Kiernan to face what he had done. I had no reason to see him dead. Believe me, given the evidence that we have, we wanted Kiernan very much alive.”
AKA, kiernan forbes, moses tembe, anele tembe
Moses Tembe’s comments in an interview have triggered fans of AKA. Images via Instagram: @nelli_tembe/@akaworldwide
‘GOD IS AN AVENGER’
Moses Tembe claimed he never confronted AKA or Kiernan Forbes on the “evidence” at his disposal. Speaking to the SABC last month, the husband and father claimed the family was waiting on an inquest on Anele’s death to give them “closure.”
Speaking to Melinda Ferguson, he said: “The universe is so balanced that there will be an execution of justice that takes care of you.
“When you become vengeful, you flop yourself to that person’s level. God is an avenger of note”.
Of who is behind AKA’s death, he said: “From where I sit, I don’t see the likelihood of police coming to a conclusion because I believe there is big money and powerful people behind it.
“As South Africans, we might never know who ordered the murder of Kiernan Forbes.”
AKA’S DAD EXPRESSES DOUBT OVER ARRESTED SUSPECTS
Meanwhile, AKA’s father, Tony Forbes, also spoke out about facing his son’s alleged killers in court.
Outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court, he told media in February: “We are here today, and I am cautiously optimistic. With the seven suspects in custody and starting court proceedings, for me, it is the start of the next stage. It’s the start to get closer to the truth, to find out who is behind all of this. But it is an important step we still have to go through. We are still only at the bottom of the pyramid.”
However, he told IOL that he was not convinced that the “mastermind” had been apprehended. He said, “I don’t think it stops with these people. I think it’s just the start. Will we ever get to the true mastermind? I don’t know.”