What court heard about Anele Tembe’s final hours

AKA

Cape Town – The final hours of Anele Tembe’s life came under scrutiny in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday as a long-awaited inquest into her death finally got underway. 

Tembe, 22, died on 11 April 2021 after falling from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town, where she was staying with her fiancé, rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes. 

Six witnesses were expected to testify during the opening of the inquest, including two police officers and Robert Stefanutto, who attended to Tembe after her fall. 

According to The Citizen, one of the police officers told the court that he and a colleague were dispatched to the hotel after receiving a report of an alleged suicide. 

The officer said they found Tembe naked on Loop Street, where paramedics were already attending to her. 

He later went into the hotel to establish what had happened and was initially directed to room 105, where he found Forbes and members of his entourage. The couple had been staying in room 104. 

‘He thought she was just playing’ 

The officer testified that Forbes told him he and Tembe had argued earlier that morning, during which she had threatened to jump. 

However, Forbes allegedly did not believe she intended to go through with the threat. 

The witness said Forbes referred to an earlier incident involving Tembe at the Durban Hilton Hotel in December 2020. 

“He told me he thought she was just playing,” the officer testified. 

According to the witness, Forbes believed Tembe would not jump because she had made a similar threat during the earlier incident but ultimately did not do so. 

The court also heard evidence about Forbes’ demeanour when police arrived at the hotel. 

A second police officer reportedly said Forbes appeared “fine” and was not crying following Tembe’s death, although the witness acknowledged that people respond differently to the death of someone close to them. 

Why the inquest is happening now 

The inquest comes more than five years after Tembe’s death. 

The National Prosecuting Authority decided in 2022 not to prosecute anyone in connection with her death. The matter was subsequently referred for an inquest to examine the circumstances surrounding the fatal fall and whether anyone could potentially be held legally responsible. 

The proceedings were originally scheduled to begin in July but were postponed after the presiding magistrate experienced a medical emergency. The hearing resumed on 7 September. 

The case has remained the subject of intense public interest, particularly because Forbes was the last person known to have been with Tembe before her death. 

Forbes himself was killed alongside his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane in Durban in February 2023, meaning he cannot give evidence about what happened in the moments before Tembe’s death. 

The inquest is therefore expected to rely heavily on witness testimony, forensic evidence and other available material. 

Speaking to SABC News, Wise Collective director Advocate Brenda Madumise-Pajibo stressed that the proceedings should not be confused with a criminal trial. 

“An inquest does not establish the guilt or the innocence of anyone,” Madumise-Pajibo said. 

She explained that the process is aimed at establishing who died, where and when the person died, and what caused the death. 

The lawyer said the proceedings could also help establish facts and reduce public speculation surrounding Tembe’s death. 

The inquest is expected to continue as the court works through the evidence surrounding the events of 11 April 2021.

Picture: X/ @akaworldwide

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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi

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