Melinda Ferguson Defends Anele Tembe After Leaked AKA WhatsApp Chats Spark Online Backlash
- Author Melinda Ferguson defended Anele Tembe after leaked AKA's WhatsApp chats reignited public debate
- Ferguson criticised the selective release of private conversations, arguing they stripped Anele of her humanity and reduced her to labels
- Mzansi remained divided, with many agreeing with Ferguson while others accused her of overlooking the online abuse AKA endured after Anele's death
Source: UGC
Author Melinda Ferguson has broken her silence on the leaked WhatsApp conversations involving AKA and the Tembe family's lawyer, calling out what she described as a brutal social media assault on the late Anele Tembe. Ferguson, who wrote *When Love Kills: The Tragic Tale of AKA and Anele*, took to Facebook on 17 July 2026 to share a lengthy open letter titled "WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ANELE."
Ferguson argued that the selective release of private chats by Tony Forbes had stripped Anele of her humanity, reducing a complex person to a diagnosis and a handful of screenshots.
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"The brutality on social media against Anele Tembe felt like she was dying another horrendous death. Like an erasure of an entire human being," she wrote.
Melinda Ferguson defends Anele Tembe amid leaked chats
The conversations emerged following a News24 piece that Ferguson described as "very unrevealing." She criticised the tendency to dismiss Anele as "crazy," "hysterical," or "suicidal," and called for a more careful examination of the evidence rather than what she termed social media bullying. Her letter closed with:
"REST IN PEACE ANELE TEMBE. REST IN PEACE KIERNAN FORBES."
Read the full comment below:
Mzansi reacts to Melinda Ferguson's comments
Not everyone was moved by Ferguson's message. Several commenters pushed back, arguing the defence was one-sided.
Here are some of the comments:
Boikgafo M. Maenetje wrote:
"I hope you also wrote a paragraph about Keirnan when he was called names, when social media bullied him, because if we are about to talk about humanity and bullying, it must be both sides."
MyLolly KefilweOdy Wa Breadwinner replied:
"We hear you, sisi, but you must understand that someone could've paid with their dear life for something they didn't even do. What do you have to say about that? He was called a murderer by the court of social media, then sadly he also left this world in a brutal way. Please balance me on these two."
Snothile Snoebelle Zulu was more direct in her criticism of Ferguson:
"AKA kept the dignity of Anele by not releasing these conversations, and therefore he died a murderer. Even in your statement, you have 'fall' as if you are also insinuating that she didn't fall. This is biased and one-sided. You watched AKA being called a killer and yet now that those conversations are out to the public and the fact that AKA was actually on the phone when Anele fell, you rush to defend Anele. You are very biased, just like that purple organisation for women."
AKA's old tweet about Anele Tembe resurfaces
Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that AKA’s old tweet about Anele Tembe sparked fresh discussions following recent online speculations.
This was after a video of Anele’s final moments reignited controversy surrounding her tragic death in April 2021.
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Source: Briefly News
