The latest development to come from the Anele ‘Nelli’ Tembe case is a statement from Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile who confirmed that the 22-year-old’s death probe is far from a cut-and-dry case of fatal self-harm.
Anele Tembe case: Police tease upcoming ‘announcement’
It’s been a week since Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes released his first statement following the incident that took place in early April, where Tembe fell from the 10th floor of a popular Cape Town boutique hotel.
In it, the rapper pleaded for privacy and thanked his fans for the unwavering support he received in his darkest hour. After all, he was the last person to see Tembe alive.
On Monday, the words of Tembe’s father, Moses, who has vehemently denied that his daughter was suicidal, rang loud when commissioner Patekile gave an update into the case.
Remember, in Moses’ address at his daughter’s funeral, he categorically rubbished claims that Tembe had taken her own life. Instead, the grieving father had linked his daughter’s tragic death to a mixture of drug and alcohol abuse.
Patekile, speaking to reporters outside the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court where he and Police Minister Bheki Cele had attended underworld boss Nafiz Modack’s first appearance, gave an update on the Tembe matter and suffice it to say, his comments yielded more questions than answers.
Asked if there was an arrest warrant in the pipeline, or any suspects, Patekile chillingly replied:
“The announcement will be part of the arrest — if there is one, but at this stage we are just doing [our] investigations. If it leads to [an] arrest, it could be. If it doesn’t lead to an arrest, we will still announce.”
Here is footage of Patekile giving reporters an update on the Tembe matter. Interestingly, the commissioner did not deny the possibility of there being a suspect in the case. Instead, his response to this question — before the deafening silence you will hear towards the end of the clip — was:
“We [are] looking at all possibilities.”
[LISTEN] Western Cape police are looking at all possibilities surrounding the death of Anele Tembe who was found deceased outside a hotel in Cape Town in April
— Athi Mtongana (@Artii_M) May 3, 2021
Investigations continue. Provincial Commissioner, Thembisile Patekile says an announcement to follow soon.@Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/IJ7q3xulsi
