Witnesses heard screams, an argument and a loud bang before Anele Tembe's fatal fall from the hotel’s 10th floor

The inquest into the death of Anele Tembe revealed that AKA, whose real name is Kiernan Forbes, had called the Pepper Club Hotel's reception for security before she fell to her death from the 10th floor in April 2021. The court proceedings in Cape Town Magistrate's Court stipulated that no livestreaming, filming, recording, or naming of the witnesses would be permitted, unless they consented to it.

One witness reported that AKA appeared 'fine' after the incident, but acknowledged that individuals react differently to stress, with some crying, others remaining still, or displaying emotional responses. A third witness presented footage of Tembe's fall, though the court noted the footage was distorted. The fourth witness heard sobbing and what sounded like a gunshot, followed by a man shouting.

Upon seeing Tembe's body lying in the street, he alerted hotel security. The hotel employee on duty testified that a guest had called reception about someone on the balcony, and that she, too, had heard a scream and a loud bang before running outside to witness Tembe's body. They requested a sheet to cover the body. AKA was killed later that same year, in February 2023, in a highly coordinated assassination in Durban, along with his friend and chef Tebello Tibz Motsoane.

Seven individuals have been implicated in the crime, with the state stating that the operation involved spotters, vehicle providers, hitmen, and a paymaster.