Former Police Minister Bheki Cele has reignited public debate over the mysterious death of Anele “Nelli” Tembe after claiming that police investigators believed she was murdered.
Tembe, who was engaged to the late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, died in 2021 after falling from the 10th floor of Cape Town’s Pepperclub Hotel — a tragedy that has remained clouded by controversy and speculation.
Speaking before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee in the Western Cape on October 23, 2025, Cele revealed that police at the time of the investigation did not rule out foul play.
“I’m sure you’ll hear one day that there is an inquest in the death of Moses Tembe’s daughter,” he said. “Police did the investigation, and they believed that that daughter was murdered.”
Cele’s statement stands in stark contrast to earlier reports that suggested Tembe’s death was a suicide — an explanation her family has consistently rejected. Anele’s father, Moses Tembe, has long maintained that his daughter did not take her own life, and Cele’s remarks appear to support that belief.
The former minister also mentioned that he had spoken directly with the President about the case, noting complications surrounding a private prosecution effort. He added that questions were now being raised by a magistrate about why the case was never officially enrolled, calling it “an obvious case.”
Cele’s revelation has once again stirred emotions and renewed calls for clarity and justice in one of South Africa’s most talked-about tragedies.