Rapper, Kiernan Forbes, also known as AKA, has for the first time spoken publicly about his version of the final hours of his late fiancé Anele “Nelli” Tembe’s life, marred by arguing and threats of suicide before she died.
AKA spoke to television anchor Thembi Mrototo in a sit-down interview produced by Bar Leader TV. Tembe fell to her loss of life from the tenth flooring of Cape Town Pepperclub Hotel within the early hours of 11 April. She was 22 years.
AKA gave his model of the occasions, saying he had a gig in Cape Town that fateful weekend and had travelled with Tembe, as they had done before.
The couple had lunch with associates and did procuring forward of his gig the night before she died. There had been issues within the relationship which resulted in arguments through the earlier week, he mentioned.
“We had disagreements, and in Cape Town we took it upon ourselves to talk, that there’s no one around… it’s a change of scenery, let’s talk about our relationship. We had just become husband and wife and had just paid lobola two weeks prior.”
According to News24, the discussion at their room at the Pepperclub Hotel resulted in an argument which continued into the early hours of the morning, Forbes mentioned, and he decided to book himself into a separate room.
“I told myself it would be best if I remove myself from the situation, and I gathered my belongings and booked myself into another room, hoping things would calm down. It got worse, she took off her ring and threw it at me. I came back to the room because I had taken her phone. Things took a turn for the worse where Anele kind of threatened to kill herself, jump off the balcony… she didn’t say it in those words though.”
He said he called hotel security, and then decided to leave the room and went into the bathroom. When he came out, Tembe wasn’t in the room.
“She wasn’t there and I looked out the room… I looked out the balcony and that’s where she was,” said Forbes.
When asked where in the room he was at the time it was said she jumped off the balcony, Forbes said the exact details were “a bit blurry”.
“Events are blurry because I didn’t lay eyes on her at the time I made the call to security. The phone was here and the balcony was over there when I made the call… so I tried to get out the situation. I don’t know whether it was during the call that she had jumped or when I was in the bathroom, or whatever the sequence of events are, but that’s how I remember it.”
The rapper mentioned Tembe was suicidal and had tried taking her life before, including that he could not perceive why her father, distinguished businessman Moses Tembe mentioned she hadn’t taken her own life and was not suicidal.
The tumultuous relationship was laid naked in photos revealed by News24, exhibiting the award-winning rapper breaking down a door of their Bryanston house to get to Tembe, who had been hiding. The incident is alleged to have taken place in March. According to a good friend of Tembe’s, she recorded Forbes breaking down the door and had allegedly smashed her face towards a wall throughout a combat.
Tembe handed the footage to the good friend. Forbes denied abusing Anele.
“No, I would never abuse Anele, I treated her like gold… she was my everything.”
AKA admitted to having used medication earlier but however refused to reply whether or not Tembe additionally took medication.
The police has opened an inquest into Tembe’s loss of life.
Janet Osemudiamen