Cocaine and its breakdown products, as well as substances associated with antidepressant and antipsychotic medication, were detected in Anele Tembe’s body after her fatal fall from a Cape Town hotel balcony, the city’s regional court heard.
The evidence was presented on Tuesday during the second day of the formal inquest into Tembe’s death. The 22-year-old died after falling from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in the early hours of 11 April 2021.
The toxicologist, who requested not to be filmed or recorded, told the court that 0.2mg of cocaine had been detected in Tembe’s stomach. Cocaine breakdown products were also found in other samples taken from her body.
The substances identified included cocaethylene, which forms when cocaine and alcohol are consumed together, as well as norcocaine.
“There was cocaethylene and norcocaine found in the stomach, blood and the eye. Cocaethylene happens when cocaine is mixed with alcohol. Other substances identified included a breakdown product of antidepressants and an antipsychotic medication,” he testified.
Expert cannot determine combined effects
During questioning, the toxicologist made clear that his role was limited to identifying substances detected during toxicological testing. He said determining how the substances may have interacted physiologically or behaviourally fell outside his area of expertise.
He could not tell the court whether the combination of substances had affected Tembe’s behaviour or judgment before her fall. He also could not determine whether the substances, individually or together, constituted a lethal combination.
The evidence therefore established what was detected in the samples, but did not establish what effect the substances may have had on Tembe at the time of the incident.
The significance of the toxicology results will have to be considered alongside the forensic reconstruction, medical evidence, witness testimony and evidence about the hotel room and balcony.
Inquest examines circumstances of death
Tembe was engaged to rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and was with him at the hotel when she fell. Forbes was later shot and killed in Durban in February 2023.
The inquest into Tembe’s death is examining the circumstances surrounding the fall and whether the evidence shows that any person may be legally responsible for her death.
An inquest is a fact-finding process and is not a criminal trial. The evidence heard during the proceedings does not, by itself, amount to a finding that Tembe’s death was accidental, intentional or caused by another person.
Earlier evidence in the proceedings included forensic reconstruction tests of possible fall scenarios from the hotel balcony. A police forensic analyst testified that an accidental slip was inconsistent with the physical evidence, while a medium-force or aggressive push produced trajectories that appeared more consistent with the point of impact.
The analyst also said it remained possible that Tembe had jumped and could not conclusively determine how she left the balcony.
The toxicology evidence is expected to be assessed together with those findings rather than in isolation.
Evidence about Forbes’ injuries
The court also previously heard that Forbes had multiple fresh scratches and bruises after Tembe’s death.
A doctor who examined Forbes testified that the injuries appeared recent and were consistent with contact involving sharp and blunt objects. The doctor said Forbes was cooperative but appeared agitated and stressed, making it difficult to obtain a complete account of how he had sustained the injuries.
The doctor’s evidence did not establish the cause of the injuries or whether they were connected to Tembe’s fall. Those issues remain part of the broader evidence before the inquest.
The court has also heard evidence about the condition of the hotel room, marks found on the balcony and the handling of the crime scene. The significance of each piece of evidence will ultimately depend on the findings of the presiding magistrate.
Proceedings continue
The toxicologist’s testimony provided the court with information about substances detected in Tembe’s body, but the witness did not offer an opinion on their combined effect or whether they contributed to the fall.
The inquest will continue hearing evidence about what happened at the Pepperclub Hotel in the early hours of 11 April 2021.
Until the process is complete, the toxicology findings should not be treated as proof of Tembe’s state of mind or as a conclusion about the cause of her death.