After text messages between the late rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his late fiancée Anele Tembe’s lawyer were made public, AKA’s father, Tony Forbes, shared why he believes that the conversation is proof that there was no foul play in Anele’s death.
Also see: Tony Forbes claps back at Bheki Cele over Anele Tembe case
Tony Forbes addresses the released text messages
Tembe died on 11 April 2021 after jumping off the 10th-floor balcony at the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. Her untimely death led many to speculate that AKA was involved.
Forbes, who wanted to defend his son, who was shot and killed outside a restaurant in Durban on 10 February 2023, took to his Instagram account on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, stating that he was reluctant to share the text messages, adding:
“I did it as his father. Not Lynn Forbes, nor Steffan Forbes. I could not save him, but I can fight for his name and memory.”
The 2020 text messages in question surrounded Tembe’s previous attempts to jump off a building at the Hilton Hotel in Durban. According to eNCA, another message between the couple shows Tembe threatening to take her life and warning that if there were a next time, she would “do it for good.”
Forbes added in his post that for years, he had not addressed media stories, political speeches and allegations that his son murdered his fiancée. He believed that the inquest into Tembe’s death was the right place to respond. However, after what he believed to be continued character assassinations, it was time to put the information in the public domain “not to create a false narrative.”
“The texts support the NPA’s [National Prosecuting Authority] decision that there was no foul play,” he penned. “It also raises contradictions in relation to sworn affidavits in the docket. Amazingly, these texts were never included in the case docket. These texts were on Kiernan’s phone all along.”
He then claimed that the investigating officer failed to include the text messages before thanking the public for their support.
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Also see: Anele Tembe’s alleged final moments intrigue social media
Inquest postponed
eNCA reports that the inquest into Tembe’s death will now take place in September 2026 and not July, as the magistrate postponed proceedings due to an “unavoidable medical emergency.” Six witnesses are to testify on the 2021 incident.
In 2022, the NPA decided not to prosecute anyone, and the matter was referred for an inquest, a decision that the Tembe family hopes will answer unanswered questions.
Also see: Ntsiki Mazwai remembers Anele Tembe following AKA murder case breakthrough
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