Father of Anele ‘Nelli’ Tembe, Moses, blew a can of worms wide open when he indicated at his daughter’s funeral that he does not believe that she took her own life.
Anele Tembe funeral: Here’s what her father said
The 22-year-old who sent South Africa into shock when she fell from the 10th floor of a popular Cape Town hotel was laid to rest in a privately held ceremony on Friday.
One of the speakers who stepped forward to issue his final comments on Tembe was her father. Suffice it to say, Moses’ address was spine-chilling, to say the least.
Here are some of his quotes from the funeral, originally repurposed by renowned reporter Heidi Giokos:
She was a feisty daughter with great ambition
Tembe’s father recalled times in the 22-year-old’s upbringing where she displayed her brightest attributes, like how she commanded attention.
“In 2009, I told her I wouldn’t have had any meetings that day. And would give her my undivided attention. 10-year old Anele wouldn’t hear non of it. She made such a scene of my deceit my meeting was moved. Anele was a dreamer.”
Moses recalled how Tembe was resolute in her plans to get married at a young age.
“We would often have father-daughter debates about her life, but it was her life. And she was clear, dad I want to get married as a I develop.”
Anele Tembe suicidal narrative is untrue
The interesting part about Moses’ address came when he confronted the widespread narrative that his daughter had voluntarily jumped from the balcony of Pepperclub Hotel.
“A narrative that axes me to no end as a father which is maliciously pervaded in some circles that Anele my daughter was chronically suicidal or had suicidal tendencies. All I can say is until she turned 21 Anele wouldn’t consider taking her own life as a solution.”
According to her father, Tembe loved herself too much and “she wanted to live more than less.”
“As Anele’s father, I hereby state categorically that Anele was neither suicidal nor did she commit suicide. Ladies and gentlemen we need to understand the forces that put us in a situation that we find ourselves.”
Drugs and alcohol are killing our youth
Moses made it clear that his intent is not to cast aspersions or create new narratives about what may have happened to his daughter since he wasn’t there “when she met her fate on Sunday.”
He did, however, indicate that part of the tragedy that befell his daughter had — in some capacity — something to do with drug and alcohol abuse.
“Of course we must as a matter [of] extreme priority deal with the scourge that bedevils our youth. Alcohol which is overused and drugs. Especially if we envisage our youth contributing [meaningfully] to our nation-building and eco-development efforts.
“Fellow South Africans we better wake up and smell the coffee. We have a serious problem with substance abuse and added to that are social ills. Then we are in a crisis,” he said.
Was AKA at Anele Tembe funeral?
A dejected Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes’ was seen at the funeral, seemingly mute and containing his emotions with all his might. The rapper is the last person to see the 22-year-old alive. Currently, the investigation has not changed from the initial ‘suicide’ inquest.