Exclusive: Ive Been Getting Death Threats - Melinda Ferguson On The New Aka And Anele Book

Melinda Ferguson, the author of the book When Love Kills The Tragic Tale of AKA and Anele , has defended herself after receiving criticism from the public and the couples families.

I dont think people understand what it is to write a book. It takes a huge amount of effort and time. The amount of insanity in the leak of the cover of When Love Kills took me by surprise.

While I got love and support, I also got tagged on social media with a lot of hate and even death threats from people saying they were coming for me. You better get bodyguards. I even got tagged on the Gcaba taxi page, where someone said, You should take care of this woman.

People dont like women who speak out, women with big mouths, but I can never be silent about what looks like injustice; its just not me.

Speaking to The Citizen , Melinda Ferguson, who has previously published Inside the Belly of the Beast: The Real Bosasa Story and the Oscar Pistorius story, Oscar: An Accident Waiting to Happen , has stirred public outrage and debate with her new book, When Love Kills , which focuses on the tragic story of slain rapper Kiernan Forbes, also known as AKA , and his late girlfriend Anele Tembe.

Not one to shy away from controversial issues, Melinda has written books on her journey with addiction, including the award-winning Smacked and Hooked .

Her current book is about the tragic tale of AKA and Anele. It delves into the complexities of their relationship and the events leading up to their untimely deaths.

For years, the story of the now-late couple has left the public divided.

Twenty-two-year-old Anele Tembe , who was engaged to AKA, fell to her death from the 10th floor of the Cape Town hotel, The Pepper Club, in April 2021.

Nobody was charged for her death, but her father, Moses Tembe , spoke to the SABC this past weekend, saying that he suspected foul play in his daughters death.

Forbes was later murdered in an assassination-style killing on 10 February 2023, outside the Wish restaurant in Durban. The case is currently in court, with seven people arrested and detained in connection with the murder.

As a journalist, it is not key to get the blessing of the families but rather to tell the story as truthfully as possible. While I encouraged participation from all parties, I wasnt relying on getting anyones blessing when writing the book, said Melinda.

She said her new book aims to offer a nuanced exploration of the intertwined lives of AKA and Anele, as well as the broader social issues that may have contributed to their deaths.

This includes a deep dive into themes such as domestic violence, mental health struggles, toxic masculinity, and the pressures of fame.

The book promises to shed light on many unanswered questions and provide insights into the events that rocked the South African music industry and South Africa at large.

Giving the reasons for writing the book, Ferguson said, I am someone whos drawn to dark stories, and as soon as theres a toxic element to something, Im drawn almost like a magnet to it.

Ive been through my own dark journey, and the moment that I learned that Anele had fallen, I wanted to know what had happened in that room.

My heart broke for this young girl. I asked myself: what were they doing at that time of the morning? At 7am? I highly suspected drugs and alcohol had been involved. I always liked AKAs music, but over time I think fame got to him and he got carried away by his celebrity. I wondered what had gone on behind closed doors. Just like everybody else, I followed the story closely.

While watching the story of Aneles death unravel, Melinda was alerted to videos and pictures of the couples altercations doing the rounds on social media.

A few weeks later, the videos came out, and I was enraged as a woman by what looked like abuse to me, and so I became more involved in the story. Then Kiernan was killed. This was a huge tragedy, and as a journalist, I couldnt help but want to write about it.

I have never worked harder on a book. I went down a rabbit hole of research, reading everything I could about the couple, speaking to people, and going on his social media.

In some way, I think the callousness, cruelty, and divisions on social media played a role in both of their deaths. Sometimes I felt like a voyeur and sickened by the responses as I watched it all go viral.

In response to the book, the Forbes family released a statement.

We are not in any way associated with Melinda Fergusons book, it said. We do, however, find the int