Anele Tembe Inquest: Police Reveal Bloodstains Found Inside Hotel Room
CAPE TOWN: Police have told the Anele Tembe inquest that apparent bloodstains were found on several items inside the Pepperclub Hotel room occupied by Tembe and her fiancé, Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, following her fatal fall in April 2021.
The evidence was presented in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday as the formal inquest into the 22-year-old’s death began.
A police officer who entered room 104 after Tembe’s fall testified that the room was in disarray, with items scattered around.
The officer told the court that police found a champagne bottle with its wrapping removed and its top missing.
There was what appeared to be blood around the bottle, according to his testimony.
Bloodstains were also observed on bedding, towels lying on the floor and part of a wall.
Champagne bottle found in room
The officer’s description of the champagne bottle was among the notable pieces of physical evidence disclosed during the first day of testimony.
According to his evidence, the bottle had been unwrapped and its top was missing.
Police also found a chair and cigarette butts on the balcony.
The evidence does not, at this stage, establish whose blood was observed, how it came to be on the various items or whether the blood was connected to the events that resulted in Tembe’s death.
Those distinctions are important as the court continues examining forensic and other evidence.
Room described as being in disarray
Another officer who was among the first police personnel at the scene also described the condition of the hotel room.
According to testimony reported from the proceedings, he said everything appeared to be “upside down”, with drinks containers in the room and linen on the floor.
The room was subsequently treated as a crime scene.
Police had initially been dispatched to the Pepperclub Hotel following a report of an apparent suicide.
When officers arrived, Tembe was outside the hotel and paramedics were attending to her. Police were informed that she had fallen from the tenth floor.
Court hears about argument
The physical condition of the room forms part of a broader body of evidence being examined by the inquest.
The court heard testimony that Forbes told police he and Tembe had argued that morning.
In a statement read into the court record, Forbes said Tembe had threatened to jump from the building and that he contacted hotel security.
Forbes said he believed she would not carry out the threat because of what he described as a previous incident in Durban.
Separately, a hotel employee testified that she received a call from a panicked man asking for security because someone was standing on the balcony.
She recognised the caller as Forbes because he had previously stayed at the hotel.
While still dealing with the call, she heard a scream followed by a loud bang.
What do the bloodstains mean?
The presence of apparent blood inside the room is likely to attract significant public attention, but the evidence must be interpreted cautiously.
The testimony heard on Monday does not establish that the blood resulted from an assault or that another person was responsible for Tembe’s death.
The inquest will have to assess physical and forensic evidence alongside witness testimony and other material before determining what significance, if any, should be attached to the bloodstains.
Similarly, the fact that the room was in disarray does not by itself establish what happened inside it.
Inquest seeks answers five years later
Tembe died on 11 April 2021 after falling from the tenth floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town.
She was engaged to Forbes at the time.
The National Prosecuting Authority previously decided not to prosecute anyone after an investigation was deemed inconclusive. Forbes, who was murdered in Durban in February 2023, denied involvement in Tembe’s death before his death.
The inquest is examining how Tembe died and whether her death resulted from the negligence or unlawful conduct of another person.
Six witnesses testified on the opening day.
Proceedings continue in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
