The formal inquest into the death of Anele Tembe resumed at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday, October 19, 2026, over five years after the 22-year-old fell from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel. Testimony revealed toxicological traces in Tembe’s system and fresh injuries on her fiancé, rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes.
The proceedings brought forward new layers of forensic testimony and sharp criticism from the family of the late musician. Tony Forbes, the father of the late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, expressed frustration over the handling of the inquest, telling reporters that critical details were not being sufficiently scrutinized.
Forensic Analysis and Balcony Simulations at the Pepperclub Hotel
Lieutenant-Colonel Jeremy Philander, a forensic evidence expert, presented the results of physical tests and mathematical simulations examining how Tembe fell from the 10th-floor hotel balcony in the early hours of April 11, 2021. Philander testified that the physical evidence is inconsistent with an accidental slip, calculating that the fall took between 2.3 and 2.6 seconds with an absolute minimum impact velocity of 82 km/h.
While the simulations indicated an accidental fall was unlikely given the distance of about 5.1 meters from the building wall where she landed, the reconstruction left open the possibility that Tembe had either jumped or been pushed. Police witnesses also noted a footprint on the outer edge of the balcony railing, though no fingerprints belonging to Tembe or Forbes were recovered from the railing itself.
Medical Examination of AKA and Fresh Body Scratches
Testimony on Tuesday shifted to the physical state of the rapper following the incident. A medical surgeon who examined Forbes shortly after the tragedy testified that the musician displayed many fresh scratch marks and bruises on his left forearm, right leg, right knee, and neck. The doctor described the injuries as roughly six to 12 hours old or less, noting that Forbes appeared visibly stressed and agitated during the clinical assessment.
WATCH | On the first day of the inquest into Anele Tembe’s death, Tony Forbes, father of the late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, expressed disappointment over what he described as a lack of robust questioning about the scratch marks found on his son’s body. pic.twitter.com/a62iVZgR5Q
The physical examination was done on the patient after exposing his full body. He had many fresh scratch marks.
Examining doctor, via Timeslive
The medical examiner added that because Forbes was tense and reluctant to answer all questions directly during the full-body evaluation, a clear history of how the bruises occurred could not be fully established.
Toxicology Findings in Tembe’s System
A toxicologist testifying before the court detailed the results of chemical tests performed on samples collected from Tembe on April 21, 2021. The analysis confirmed traces of cocaine, alcohol, anti-depressants, and anti-psychotic medications in her stomach, blood, and eye samples. However, the expert noted that the chemical breakdown could not establish the exact time the cocaine was consumed, leaving its direct role in the sequence of events unproven.
Tony Forbes Questions the Depth of Court Scrutiny
Outside the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, Tony Forbes voiced deep dissatisfaction with how witness testimonies and medical documentation were being handled by the magistrate and prosecution.
Tony Forbes said there are things happening at the inquest where he feels the right facts are not being put on the table, and that what is being put on the table is not being questioned in terms of how accurate it is.
He pointed to discrepancies surrounding the physical markings on his son’s body, noting that medical records referenced marks behind the knee rather than on the back as some witness testimony suggested. With both Anele Tembe and Kiernan Forbes deceased—Forbes was shot and killed in Durban in February 2023—the family maintains that a thorough and rigorous inquest is essential to piece together the events of that night.
