Kiernan “AKA” Forbes’ father Tony Forbes has reportedly come to his son’s defence after the rapper came under pressure from social media users over the death of his fiancée, Anele “Nelli” Tembe.
According to Sowetan, Tony on Wednesday spoke out against calls to #MuteAKA, as investigations continued into the death of AKA’s fiancée Anele “Nelli” Tembe.
He said his son had been struggling to mourn properly because of the “damaging public perceptions” about the nature of their relationship with Nelli.
Nelli died on April 11 after apparently falling from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town.
Video clips of incidents involving the couple went viral recently, resulting in speculation around violence in their relationship.
A non-profit organisation opposing gender-based violence (GBV), Women for Change, reacted to this development by calling for radios, streaming services and fans to stop supporting AKA’s music and other projects.
A Sunday World report said in one of the disturbing videos, AKA was seen breaking down a door with a terrified Tembe heard pleading with him to calm down.
However, AKA would have none of it as he was seen and heard hurling expletives at Tembe.
The report quoted an unnamed source with “intimate knowledge of the relationship” as saying Nelli had allegedly been abused by the rapper throughout their relationship.
But Tony said the allegations against his son needed to be examined properly.
He also said the videos which had surfaced of AKA breaking down a door needed to be examined in the context of the situation, a report by Briefly said.
Tony said his son was pouring his feelings into his music at the moment and was not able to articulate himself well.
Picture: AKA via Instagram