Tony replies Bheki Cele’s claim about Anele Tembe’s death
The late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes’ father, Tony Forbes, has broken his silence following explosive claims made by former Police Minister Bheki Cele regarding Anele Tembe’s tragic death.
Speaking before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee earlier this week, Cele alleged that police had investigated Anele’s death as a possible murder case but that the matter never went to trial because prosecutors declined to pursue it.
His remarks implied that AKA may have been involved in Anele’s 2021 death.
In an interview with eNCA, Tony Forbes described Cele’s statements as both hurtful and unfair, saying they painted his late son as a murderer when he is no longer alive to defend himself.
“So, for me, it’s just reopened the wounds, and Kiernan was just spoken of as a murderer again. It’s very unfair. It’s hurtful. He’s not here to defend himself, and I wish that the NPA could just set the record straight,” he said.
Tony confirmed that an inquest into Anele’s death is still expected to go ahead and that his family plans to present evidence to clear AKA’s name.
“The right place for this to clear out is in the inquest. That is what the inquest is for, and obviously, Kiernan passed away before it happened. But it’s not too late. We are still supposed to go there and take the facts so that there is a balanced discussion and not merely one-sided statements being made,” he explained.
Firmly rejecting any notion that his son was responsible for Anele’s death, Tony painted a picture of AKA as a loving, calm, and kind-hearted man.
“There’s no doubt that Kiernan was not a murderer. Two weeks before Anele died, Kiernan went and asked for her hand in marriage. Kiernan was not an aggressive person. He would never have done that. So, absolutely, he did not murder her,” he stated.
Tony also addressed previous reports that he had snubbed Bheki Cele when the suspects in AKA’s murder were arrested. He denied ever disrespecting the former minister, instead claiming that Cele had lied about visiting the Forbes family to pay his respects.
“As for our relationship, we spoke at the airport in the morning, and then we went our separate ways when we met in Durban. He never came to the house as he said. I’m actually surprised that the committee didn’t more robustly interrogate what the ex-minister had said,” Tony added.
He went on to clarify that, to his knowledge, police never indicated that they believed Anele Tembe’s death was murder, further emphasizing his belief that his son was innocent.