'I loved Kiernan so much' — Moses Tembe speaks on the death of his daughter’s fiancé

Moses Tembe, father of the late Anele Tembe, says he had no ill feelings towards AKA till his last day — contrary to popular belief.

Anele died from injuries sustained in a fall from the 10th floor at the Pepper Club Hotel in Loop Street, Cape Town, in April 2021. The Tembe family still awaits an inquest into her death.

Two years after Anele died, her fiancé rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes was shot dead on the pavement as he and friends were leaving Wish on Florida Road in Durban. His friend, chef Tebello Motsoane, was also killed in the shooting.

Though social media users have speculatively linked the Tembes to his death, Moses said he and his family wanted AKA to speak in court on what transpired the day their daughter died.

“It has always been critical for the family to have Kiernan in the box, whether as a witness or as an accused. For us a proper closure required that the last person who was with our daughter be present,” he told SABC.

Moses said he wouldn't be drawn on allegations that the rapper killed his daughter.

“Whatever people were saying later about him, I gave him the benefit of the doubt right up to the last day. I loved Kiernan so much.

“I kept on saying to my children, my parents and everyone who was affected by this. It's important to treat Kiernan as our own child so we can actually be objective as this process starts. I object to anyone who suggests that Kiernan killed our daughter. I'm saying we need to lead evidence, and the evidence will tell us exactly what happened.”

NB Publishers revealed last Thursday that journalist Melinda Ferguson was to release a book about Anele and AKA's relationship titled When Love Kills.

The book is expected to be published this month. 

A description, according to NB Publishers, reads:

“When Love Kills is the tale of hip-hop star AKA, whose life unravelled when he embarked on a relationship with 21-year-old Anele Tembe. When she 'fell' to her death from the 10th storey of the Pepper Club in April 2021 after a long night of heated arguing, details would emerge that they'd been caught up in a whirlwind of toxic obsession, alleged substance abuse and violence. Less than two years later AKA was assassinated in what looked like a hit to avenge her death. This is their tragic story.”