Anele Tembe Inquest: Hotel Manager Details Events After Her Death
Hotel staff stopped serving alcohol to late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his entourage after his fiancée, Anele Tembe, fell to her death from the 10th floor of a Cape Town hotel, the inquest heard on Wednesday.
The hotel manager, who was the sixth witness to testify, was working at the Pepperclub Hotel when Tembe and Forbes were staying there in April 2021.
He told the inquest that he was alerted that someone had fallen from the building and went to the room, where he found it in disarray.
The manager then briefly spoke to Forbes, who was with members of his entourage in a nearby room. He described the rapper as being in a poor state following the incident.
The manager later discovered that the group had ordered alcohol and instructed hotel staff not to serve them, saying it was inappropriate given the circumstances.
According to his testimony, Forbes was unhappy with the decision but did not become upset.
Hotel Guests Describe Hearing Screams And Loud Bang
The inquest also heard testimony from two hotel guests who said they heard screams and a loud bang shortly before Tembe’s death.
The witnesses, whose identities have not been disclosed, testified during the second day of proceedings.
One witness, who was staying on the 15th floor, said she heard a woman shouting before a loud bang followed. She then went onto her balcony and heard a man repeatedly expressing shock.
The witness later said she overheard a waiter repeating an order for tequila and shooters from room 1005, where Forbes and his friends were staying. She told the inquest that the order struck her as unusual given the events that had just taken place.
A second witness, who was staying on a floor above the room where the incident occurred, said he woke at about 7.30am after hearing a woman scream, followed by a loud bang.
He initially believed the sound could have been caused by a car crash.
The witness said he then heard Forbes shouting in shock. He told the inquest that he indicated he would call an ambulance before dialling the emergency number.
When he looked over the balcony, the witness said he saw a woman lying on the ground and later saw Forbes looking down from a nearby balcony.
He also testified that he did not hear a heated argument between a man and a woman, contradicting an account previously heard by the inquest.
The inquest has been postponed to 19 October 2026, when further witnesses are expected to testify.