Tembe family denies ordering ‘hit’ on rapper AKA

KwaZulu-Natal businessman Moses Tembe has pleaded with social media influencers to stop implicating him and his family in the murder of rapper Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes.

AKA and his long-time friend, entrepreneur Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane, were assassinated on Friday night outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road, Durban. AKA was meant to perform later that night at YuGo, a nightclub on Mathews Meyiwa Road.

The incident came almost two years after Tembe's daughter, Anele "Nellie", who was engaged to be married to AKA, died in 2021 after falling from the 10th floor at the Pepper Club Hotel in Loop Street, Cape Town.

Social media users have been naming Tembe as a possible suspect in AKA’s killing following the death of his daughter.

Tembe, in a statement released on Wednesday, said: "It is with grave concern that my family and I have had to endure a flurry of posts on various social media platforms that accuse me and members of my family of being involved in the death of Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes.

"These accusations are untrue and without substance. I categorically state that my family feel the pain of the Forbes family and would never be involved in an abhorrent act of this nature.

“Whilst I value the principle of freedom of speech, these cruel and libellous utterances inflict personal and emotional harm on us.

“After having to deal with the tragedy of the untimely passing of our daughter, this senseless crime has taken a further emotional toll on us.

“I respectfully request the individuals making these baseless statements to refrain from doing so," he said.

Tembe had also offered his condolences to AKA’s family.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape confirmed that they had decided not to institute any prosecution in the matter of Anele's death, a decision Tembe is challenging.

The decision had been taken last year and was communicated to the Tembe family, who were given the greenlight to make further representations to the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

At the time of AKA’s death, Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson for the NPA in the Western Cape, said they had yet to make the representations to the NDPP Shamilla Batohi.

He said the NPA had referred the matter for an inquest.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE