Tony Forbes has defended his decision to release private WhatsApp conversations involving his late son, rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, saying he did so to protect his son’s reputation as the inquest into Anele Tembe’s death continues.
In a statement shared on social media on Tuesday, Tony said he had “reluctantly” decided to make public WhatsApp exchanges between AKA, the late Anele Tembe and the Tembe family’s lawyer.
‘I can fight for his name and memory’
He insisted the move was made in his personal capacity as a father determined to defend his son’s legacy.
“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,” he said.
Tony explained that the conversations relate to the incident at the Hilton Hotel in Durban in December 2020, several months before Tembe died after falling from the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town in April 2021.
He said he had previously remained silent despite what he described as persistent allegations in the media and public discourse accusing AKA of murdering Tembe.
According to Tony, he had trusted that the formal inquest would establish the truth, but decided to speak out after what he called continued attempts to tarnish his son’s name.
“I believed the time was right to put this information into the public domain. To bring balance. To bring fact. Not speculation. Not to create a false narrative,” he said.
‘Read the texts and decide for yourself’
Tony further claimed the WhatsApp conversations support the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)’s earlier finding that there was no evidence of foul play in Tembe’s death.
He also alleged that the messages expose contradictions between the conversations and sworn affidavits contained in the official case docket.
According to him, the messages had been extracted from AKA’s cellphone during the police investigation but were allegedly never included in the case file.
“These texts were on Kiernan’s phone all along. The investigating officer did not include it,” he claimed.
He urged members of the public to examine the messages before reaching conclusions.
“Read the texts and decide for yourself.”
Inquest postponed to September
His statement comes as the inquest into Tembe’s death continues to examine the circumstances surrounding her fatal fall from the Pepperclub Hotel.
The proceedings were postponed until September 7 after the presiding magistrate suffered a medical emergency.
Meanwhile, NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that the legal team previously representing the Forbes family has withdrawn from the proceedings.
“The last time there were two lawyers representing the Forbes family, but those two lawyers withdrew,” said Ntabazalila.
“So, what we will be waiting for now is for the Forbes family to advise whether they’ll be bringing in new legal representatives and whether they will have witnesses.”
The inquest is expected to resume in September, when the court will determine the next phase of the proceedings, including whether the Forbes family will appoint new legal counsel and call witnesses.
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- Tony Forbes, father of late rapper AKA, released private WhatsApp messages to defend his son's reputation amid ongoing inquest into Anele Tembe’s death.
- The messages, involving AKA, Tembe, and Tembe's lawyer, relate to a December 2020 incident and aim to counter public allegations that AKA was involved in Tembe’s death.
- Tony claimed the conversations support the National Prosecuting Authority's finding of no foul play, and accused the investigating officer of withholding these texts from the official case file.
- The inquest into Tembe’s death was postponed to September after the presiding magistrate had a medical emergency.
- The Forbes family’s previous lawyers have withdrawn from the case, with a decision on new legal representation and witnesses expected when the inquest resumes.
In a statement shared on social media on Tuesday,
He insisted the move was made in his personal capacity as a father determined to defend his son's legacy.
"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," he said.
He said he had previously remained silent despite what he described as persistent allegations in the media and public discourse accusing AKA of murdering
"I believed the time was right to put this information into the public domain. To bring balance. To bring fact. Not speculation. Not to create a false narrative," he said.
He also alleged that the messages expose contradictions between the conversations and sworn affidavits contained in the official case docket.
"
He urged members of the public to examine the messages before reaching conclusions.
"Read the texts and decide for yourself."
His statement comes as the inquest into
Meanwhile, NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that the legal team previously representing the Forbes family has withdrawn from the proceedings.
"
"So, what we will be waiting for now is for the Forbes family to advise whether they'll be bringing in new legal representatives and whether they will have witnesses."
ALSO READ: AKA's fiancee's family fumes over bogged down inquest
