Anele Tembe inquest delayed AGAIN – Here’s why…

· The South African

The inquest into Anele Tembe’s death has been delayed yet again, due to a presiding officer having a “medical emergency”.  The 21-year-old died from a fatal fall from the balcony of a 10th-floor hotel room she shared with her fiancé, AKA or Kiernan Forbes.

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The incident took place at the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town on 11 April 2021. Two years later, AKA was shot and killed by masked gunmen in Durban. 

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the inquest will resume in September.

ANELE TEMBE INQUEST DELAYED AGAIN

On Monday, 13 July, the NPA confirmed that the inquest would not be heard at the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court, as anticipated.

NPA spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, explained: “It was expected to start this morning. But unfortunately, it had to be postponed as the presiding officer in the matter had to attend to a medical emergency.”

The inquest will now be heard from 7 September.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN INQUEST?

As with all unnatural deaths, an inquest will determine the facts surrounding an individual’s death, in this case, the mysterious circumstances behind Anele Tembe’s fatal fall.

Six witnesses will be called to testify; likely hotel staff, eyewitnesses – like hotel guest Rob Stefanutto, who heard and saw Anele’s fatal fall – and possibly AKA’s entourage, who were checked into the adjacent hotel room. Forensic experts, police investigators, medical professionals, and post-mortem reports could also be brought before the magistrate.

An inquest is not a criminal trial, and cannot convict or acquit any individuals.

However, after overseeing all testimonies and evidence, a magistrate can decide if Anele Tembe’s death was the result of a criminal act or omission, and can refer it back to the NPA.  

Prosecutors will then decide whether there is enough evidence to pursue criminal proceedings, which would take place on a separate date.

The findings of the inquest and what happens thereafter would likely be made public, given the case’s high-profile nature.

AKA AND ANELE TEMBE DEATH: DELAYS AND ‘FOUL PLAY’

In the months that followed Anele Tembe’s death, her partner AKA was accused of being involved, a claim he vehemently denied before his death.

At the time of his own passing in February 2023,  a leaked letter to the NPA revealed how the Tembe family suspected the rapper of foul play, and allegedly pushing Anele off the balcony.

The letter featured allegations of… 

  • Blood in the Pepperclub Hotel room and on clothing. Scratches on AKA’s back, indicating a violent altercation between the couple had taken place.
  • AKA had “cleaned up” the room after Anele’s fall.
  • 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.

According to Sunday World, the NPA responded by saying Anele’s death would be revisited. They also claimed that the family “made representations” questioning their initial decision not to prosecute anyone following their inquest.

Over the past two years,  preparations for a formal inquest continued, but no hearing dates were held. The Tembe family repeatedly expressed frustration with how long it was taking to have the matter heard in court.

In October last year, former Minister of Police Bheki Cele made a bombshell accusation that police believed that Anele Tembe was “murdered”. He was speaking at Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing alleged police corruption.

Cele said of Western Cape policing: “There is an inquest in the death of Moses Tembe’s daughter. The police did the investigation, and they believed that the daughter was murdered”.

The retired minister insisted that police investigators had done their job, but prosecutors were “lacking”.

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