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- The Tembe family has distanced themselves from the upcoming book by Melinda Ferguson, focusing on AKA's toxic romance with Anele Tembe.
- Tembe family spokesperson Manqoba Zungu said they did not commission its writing nor contribute to it "in any way."
- Tony and Lynn Forbes have also disassociated from the book they labelled as ‘distasteful and opportunistic’.
- 22-year-old Anele Tembe died in April 2021 after plummeting from the 10th storey of the Pepperclub Hotel after an allegedly violent altercation with AKA.
The Tembes and the Forbes have both distanced themselves from the upcoming Melinda Ferguson book, When Love Kills.
The parents of murdered rapper Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes did not hold back any punches as they criticised the upcoming release of a seasoned journalist and author Melinda Ferguson's book into their son's volatile and violent relationship, with Anele Tembe, allegedly characterised by drug and alcohol abuse.
The book, When Love Kills, is scheduled for release this week, less than a week after the third anniversary of Tembe's death.
When Love Kills is the tale of hip-hop star AKA whose life unravelled when he embarked on a relationship with 21-year-old Anele Tembe. When she "fell" to her death from the 10th storey of the Pepperclub in April 2021, after a long night of heated arguing, details would emerge they'd been caught up in a whirlwind of toxic obsession, alleged substance abuse and violence. Less than two years later, AKA was assassinated in what looked like a hit to avenge her death. This is their tragic story.
In a statement on Monday, the rapper's parents, Tony and Lynn, disassociated themselves from the book and added that they did not endorse it.
"When Melinda reached out to us, we respectfully and rightfully declined to contribute to her book," they said.
"At this stage, we cannot give any further comment on the book as we are unaware of its contents. We do, however, find the intended publication of the book and the timing distasteful and opportunistic."
Tembe family spokesperson Manqoba Zungu also distanced the family from the book, saying they did not commission its writing nor contribute to it "in any way."
"The book is, therefore, Melinda's own view, based on her own research," he said.
However, Zungu's response contradicted a News24 report published at the weekend.
Per the report, When Love Kills contained interviews with insiders, including Tembe's father, Moses, who spoke about his regret at "not intervening more" in the couple's toxic romance.
Still speaking to Ferguson, he said the pair allegedly had a violent physical altercation in the hotel room shortly before his daughter died. Then 22-year-old Tembe allegedly also argued with AKA about DJ Zinhle, the mother of his daughter, before she plummeted to her death.
"Kiernan's back was full of scratches. Anele's nails were broken. There was blood from Anele on the floor in the room, splatters of Anele's blood on Kiernan's socks. We believe that after Anele dropped, Kiernan tried to clean all of this up but failed to do so," Moses told Ferguson.
Tembe's death anniversary and talk around the book come as the investigation into her death again failed to get off the ground.
The case was again postponed last week after delays reportedly caused by the National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape and lawyers acting for the Forbes family.
Though the Tembe family expressed its disappointment in the delays experienced in the case, Moses, in an exclusive interview with the SABC, said he did not believe the probe into his daughter's death would be complete without AKA answering to what happened in the moments leading to Tembe's death. He said his family would also be unable to find closure without the rapper.
"I did indicate to you that [the] inquest and closure for the family will never be complete without Kiernan. If there's one family that wanted Kiernan alive, it's our family to see him there, with his own mouth telling us exactly what happened on that fateful day," Moses told the public broadcaster.
Despite having regrets about "not intervening more" in the relationship between his daughter and the murdered rapper, Moses spoke fondly about accepting his, as he intended to marry their daughter. He also said Congratulate hitmaker never set a foot wrong in his presence.
"Whatever people were saying later about him, I gave him the benefit of the doubt right up to the last day. I loved Kiernan so much, and to that point, for us as a family, me in particular, as some kind of head of that family, I kept saying to my children, my parents and everyone who was affected by this that it's important to treat Kiernan like our own child so that we can actually be objective as this process starts."
Since the rapper's gruesome killing, alongside friend Tibz Motsoane, "faceless people" have speculated about Moses' involvement in his death in their home province, KwaZulu-Natal.
"It is unfortunate and obviously a painful experience when you hear people making those insinuations and making those allegations," he said.
"I have been saying to our family that we can choose to comment on what faceless people are saying or keep trusting the legal system of this country, which will come to a conclusion that will give the Forbes family closure."
Thus far, seven people have been arrested in connection with AKA and Motsoane's murders. They return to court next month to complete their bail applications.
Approached for comment after the interview, Zungu (Tembe family spokesperson) said Moses would only grant further interviews after the investigation into his daughter's death was complete.
READ MORE | Explosive new allegations about AKA's role in Anele's death as inquest postponed again
