Anele Tembe Inquest Postponed as AKA Family Yet to Confirm Legal Representation
The inquest into the death of Anele Tembe has been postponed after a medical emergency involving the presiding magistrate, with proceedings now expected to resume in September.
The hearing, which was scheduled to begin in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday, was set to determine whether anyone can be held legally responsible for Tembe’s death.
However, the matter was postponed to 7 to 9 September 2026 after the magistrate was unable to proceed due to a medical emergency.
Tembe, who was 22 years old, died after falling from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town in April 2021. She was engaged to rapper Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, at the time of her death.
The postponement means Tembe’s family will have to wait another two months before the court resumes hearing evidence in the inquest.
Legal representatives for the Tembe family and two witnesses who were expected to testify were present in court. However, there was no legal representation for the Forbes family.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the two lawyers who had previously represented the Forbes family had since withdrawn from the matter.
He said the NPA was awaiting confirmation from the Forbes family on whether they intended appointing new legal representatives and whether they planned to call any witnesses during the proceedings.
The inquest is now scheduled to continue from 7 to 9 September 2026.