This archive report was first published on 10 May 2021.
South African rapper Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, known as AKA, is taking steps to heal after the tragic loss of his fiancée, Anele Tembe.
Tembe died on April 11 after falling from the 10th floor of a hotel in Cape Town, leaving behind a grieving community and a devastated AKA.
Four weeks after her funeral, AKA has revealed that he is seeking psychological and spiritual counselling to cope with the trauma of her passing.
‘I was and still am madly in love with Anele, carrying whatever past traumas she faced before I met her. I own up to my past and current traumas, and thus I have submitted myself to psychological and spiritual counselling for my own benefit and growth,' AKA said in a statement.
He added that his relationship with Anele had its ups and downs, like any other, but he is not a suspect in the ongoing case, but rather a witness.
‘I am a passionate and emotional person. What I will not do and stand for is watching people attempt to disparage my name and importantly, Anele’s character to suit a narrative we both never signed up for,' AKA said.
He also addressed the media's portrayal of their relationship, stating that he will not be a part of speaking on or exposing their troubles as a couple to defend himself from one-sided views.
‘I am fully aware of who the ‘sources’ engaging media are and what their intention is, which is to influence the SAPS inquest – which the investigating officer has stated numerous times to my legal team and to them, that I Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, have not been named to be a suspect, but have been nothing but a cooperating witness,' AKA said.
