In Melinda Ferguson’s book, “When Love Kills: The Tragic Tale of AKA and Anele,” Moses Tembe, father of the late Anele Tembe, offers a hauntingly candid look into the turbulent relationship between his daughter and the South African hip hop star, AKA (Kiernan Forbes). His perspective sheds new light on the dynamics that marked the couple’s time together. Here are ten striking quotes from Moses Tembe that capture the essence of their troubled union:
1.”She was always calling me, saying it was over. I would buy tickets for Anele to come back to Durban, then once she was back, she would change her mind and go back to him. It was a very tumultuous relationship. I often told her she had to be careful because one could see that there were huge problems between the two of them.”
- This quote reveals the cyclical nature of Anele and AKA’s relationship, highlighting its instability.
2.“They would break up, and she would come home or phone me or send me videos of fights. I never confronted Kieran.”
- Moses provides insight into his passive approach, possibly hinting at his feeling of helplessness.
3. “I do not believe Anele was going to jump. My daughter loved herself so much. Anele was a very dramatic girl. She loved attention. I don’t believe she was going to drop.”
- Here, Moses contests the narrative of Anele’s death being a suicide, portraying her as full of life and vivacious.
4. “I knew Anele’s character, and as a father, I was afraid that I would lose her completely if I tried to stop this thing.”
- His fear of losing his daughter if he intervened too strongly in her decisions is palpable.
5. “Lynn contacted me during this time to discuss her concerns regarding their kids’ relationship.”
- This interaction between the parents underscores their shared worries about the volatile relationship.
6. “We discussed the tumultuous relationship between Kiernan and Anele. One of the things we discussed was how often the two of them were breaking up, and how many times I’d asked Anele to come home but how she always went back to Kiernan.”
- A meeting with Lynn at a restaurant brings both parents together, discussing the recurring pattern of breakups and reconciliations.
7. “I believe if my daughter had stopped seeing Kiernan, if the relationship had ended at this point, my daughter would be alive today,”
- Moses expresses his belief that the continuation of the relationship led to his daughter’s untimely demise.
8. “When I agreed to allow Kiernan to marry Anele, I made a condition by way of a gift – which was for them to attend proper rigorous marriage counselling sessions, because I knew that they were having a tumultuous relationship. I paid for these sessions in advance and insisted that they do this so they would clearly understand what they were getting themselves into.”
- Moses attempted to mitigate the risks of their impending marriage by insisting on thorough counseling.
9. “The only card I had up my sleeve was that the guy who was going to do the counselling, which would be over a period of three months, reassured me that by the time he was finished with the two of them, they would both know if they were not a good fit.”
- He further elaborates on his hopes pinned on the marriage counseling as a decisive factor for their future.
10. “There were times during their relationship that Anele told me he was hurting her”
Moses Tembe’s reflections in Ferguson’s “When Love Kills” contribute a vital perspective to the tragic narrative of Anele and AKA, painting a picture of a father’s desperation and concern in the face of his daughter’s volatile romantic involvement.
