More than five years after the death of 22-year-old Anele Tembe, the Cape Town Magistrates Court has heard detailed testimony from police officers who were among the first people to arrive at the Pepperclub Hotel after her fatal fall.
Tembe, who was engaged to rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes at the time, died in April 2021 after falling from the 10th floor of the Cape Town hotel.
The formal inquest, which began on Monday, is examining the circumstances surrounding her death and whether anyone can be held responsible. The National Prosecuting Authority had previously decided not to prosecute after considering forensic reports, but the matter was later returned for further investigation before eventually being enrolled for an inquest.
Police arrive at the hotel
Two police officers who responded to the incident testified about what they saw when they arrived.
One officer told the court that police had been dispatched following a report of an apparent suicide. When they arrived, Tembe was lying naked on the street outside the hotel, where paramedics were attending to her.
The officer was then taken upstairs by hotel security. He was initially directed to room 105, next to room 104, where Tembe and Forbes had been staying.
Forbes was in the room with members of his entourage.
According to testimony, Forbes told police that he and Tembe had argued before the incident and that he had gone into the bathroom after she threatened to jump.
The officer later accompanied Forbes into room 104.
He described the room as being in disarray.
“Everything was upside down. There were cans of drinks, and the linen was on the floor,” the officer told the court.
The balcony was also examined, with police finding a chair and cigarette butts.
Blood stains and the champagne bottle
The court heard that investigators found what appeared to be blood on several items inside the hotel room.
These included a champagne bottle, towels, bedding and part of a wall near the bathroom.
The investigating officer testified that the champagne bottle had its wrapping removed and its top was missing. Blood was also reportedly found around the bottle.
The room was subsequently treated as a crime scene.
The evidence forms part of the broader investigation into what happened in the moments before Tembe’s fall.
AKA’s account to police
The first officer to arrive at the scene testified that Forbes wanted to give police his version of events while they were still fresh in his mind.
The officer read Forbes’ statement into the court record.
According to the statement, Forbes said he and Tembe had argued and that she had threatened to jump from the balcony.
He said he contacted hotel security after seeing her on the balcony and holding onto the railing.
Forbes told police that he did not believe she would actually jump.
“I thought she was kidding because she had done it before in Durban,” the statement read.
The officer said the earlier incident in Durban had involved police negotiators and other role players, but Tembe had not jumped at that time.
Forbes told police he subsequently went into the bathroom because he did not believe Tembe would act on the threat.
When he came out, he said, she was no longer inside the room.
“After I came out of the bathroom, she was not in the room. I went to the balcony and saw her lying in the street. She jumped from the 10th floor,” Forbes said in the statement.
He also told police that Tembe was taking medication.
Officer describes Forbes’ demeanour
The court also heard evidence about Forbes’ appearance and demeanour when police arrived.
One officer said Forbes appeared calm and that there was a smell of alcohol in the room.
“You could smell that alcohol was involved. But you can’t say if it was from the previous night or immediately, or if he had something with him just after everything happened,” the officer testified.
Another officer described Forbes as appearing relatively composed.
“He didn’t look sad or anything like that. To be honest, he looked quite fine when we walked into the room with his bouncers and managers,” the officer said.
However, the witness acknowledged that people respond to grief differently and cautioned against interpreting Forbes’ outward demeanour as evidence of how he was processing Tembe’s death.
The court also heard that Forbes did not ask police about Tembe’s condition or wellbeing after the fall, according to the officer. He was also questioned about injuries allegedly observed on Forbes’ arms and elsewhere on his body, although the officer said he did not discuss those injuries with him at the time.
Hotel employee recalls final moments
A hotel employee also testified about the moments immediately before Tembe fell.
The witness said she was working as a supervisor when she received a call from room 104 asking for security because someone was standing on the balcony.
“He didn’t say his wife or girlfriend. He just said, ‘someone’,” she testified.
While still on the phone, she heard a loud scream followed by a bang.
She rushed outside and found Tembe lying on the ground.
“I called security to come and assist and also bring a sheet. Her face was rearranged, and we covered her with a sheet. We realised that she was still moving,” the witness told the court.
Six witnesses testified on the first day of the inquest, including two police officers, a hotel manager, a neighbour, a businessperson who supplied video footage to police and the hotel employee. Their identities have been protected by a court order.
A death that has remained under scrutiny
Tembe’s death has remained the subject of intense public interest, particularly because of her relationship with Forbes and the circumstances surrounding her fall.
Forbes was murdered in Durban in February 2023, almost two years after Tembe’s death. The renewed inquest therefore comes more than five years after the events at the Pepperclub Hotel.
The proceedings are expected to examine the available evidence and testimony in an effort to establish precisely what happened before Tembe’s death and whether there is any basis for further legal action.
The inquest is continuing.
