A video clip allegedly showing AKA’s fiancée Anele Tembe threatening to commit suicide at the rapper’s home will be among the crucial evidence to be tested when the crunch inquest hearing into her death resumes in the Cape Town magistrate’s court on April 8.
Tembe, fondly known as Nelly, died after she “fell off” from the balcony of the Pepper Hotel in Cape Town three years ago, after a violent altercation with the award-winning rapper in their hotel room.
The musician, who was assassinated outside the Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban, told the police that Tembe, the daughter of KwaZulu-Natal businessman Moses Tembe, committed suicide when she jumped from the balcony of the hotel room they shared after their alcohol-fuelled tiff at the upmarket hotel. However, her family believes the SupaMega pushed her off the balcony.
As part of defence, AKA‘s legal team is expected to capitalise on the video obtained by the NPA which allegedly shows Tembe standing on the balcony of their rented home in Bryanston, throwing her engagement ring and their two Rolex watches into the swimming pool. She also allegedly took a portrait from the muso’s house and, in a fit of anger, threw it into the pool.
“She later threatened to jump. AKA jumped into the pool and retrieved the watches and the ring,” said the tipster. Afterwards, said the source, AKA allegedly walked into the house and found her seated on the bed, crying and saying she wanted to end it all.
“The decision to submit this video to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was to possibly prove that Nelly was suicidal and that AKA did not kill her as they so believed, but whether that is enough to convince the court remains to be seen because we were not there in the room and don’t know what actually happened,” said the source.
The new showdown comes after the NPA had declined to prosecute AKA after Tembe’s lawyer made representation for it to do so. However, the NPA reopened the inquest hearing after her family made further representations to the NPA, convincing it that there was a possibility of foul play.
Sunday World also understands the NPA’s decision to reopen the investigation came after Tembe’s family wrote a scathing letter to it two weeks after they were informed that the Western Cape director of public prosecutions, Nicolette Bell, had decided not to institute any criminal prosecution.
In the letter, the family challenged Bell’s decision, claiming the crucial information indicating that the rapper had pushed or carried Tembe over the balcony was ignored. In the letter, which Sunday World has seen, the family, through their lawyers, TM Incorporated Attorneys, requested access to the docket, which led to the NPA’s decision. The family also stated that the evidence that was ignored included a statement by a crucial witness, Rob Stefanutto, who stated previously he had heard an argument between a man and a woman in the rapper’s hotel room.
The family also alleged there was blood in the hotel room following Tembe’s passing, and that AKA had marks on his back indicating he was scratched by her when he carried his fiancée to the balcony.
The letter reads in part: “He did not attend to his injured fiancée, who remained alive for approximately 20 minutes. He did not perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her.
“Instead, Stefanutto, a complete stranger, cared enough to administer CPR and call emergency services in an attempt to save Anele Tembe’s life … Forbes cleaned up the hotel room.
“There was blood on the towels. Forbes partied and drank at the hotel with his entourage following the passing of his fiancée.”
Tembe family’s lawyer, Bongani Khoza, declined to comment and referred us to the NPA.
