Pathologist says Tembe could have climbed over balcony — Daily Maverick

In Cape Town, South Africa, a pathologist told the judicial inquiry into the death of 22-year-old Anele Tembe that the alcohol, cocaine and prescription drugs found in her body did not rule out the possibility that she could have climbed over the balcony of the Pepperclub hotel. Tembe died after falling from the hotel’s 10th floor on April 11, 2021. Her death was initially considered a possible suicide, Daily Maverick reports.

Toxicology examination results

Samples from Tembe’s stomach, blood and intestines were examined after a toxicology kit was received on April 12, 2021. The analysis was conducted on April 21. The samples contained cocaine, three of its breakdown products, a mood stabilizer, antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs in trace amounts.

According to the pathologist, Tembe’s blood alcohol level was 0.1 mg and exceeded the legal limit. She classified this condition as euphoria or intoxication, but noted that it did not indicate severe impairment of consciousness or a coma. The expert added that alcohol tolerance varies from person to person and that she had no information about Tembe’s alcohol consumption habits.

According to the expert’s assessment, the cocaine concentration was consistent with its use several hours before death. She explained that cocaine is a stimulant and that the amount detected did not indicate an impairment of consciousness that would have made it impossible to climb over the balcony. The samples also contained cocaethylene, a substance that can form when alcohol and cocaine are used simultaneously.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Neck injuries

The prosecutor also asked about fresh injuries on Tembe’s body and the possibility that they had been inflicted during an altercation before the fall. The pathologist said that it is impossible to determine from the external appearance of the injuries alone whether they were inflicted before the fall or occurred during it.

Two areas of hemorrhage and hemorrhages in the platysma — a thin muscle on the front of the neck — were found on her neck. According to the expert, such injuries could have resulted from friction, pressure or suction similar to a hickey, as well as during the fall. The autopsy found no clear signs of strangulation: the hyoid bone and neck cartilage had no fractures. The expert also suggested that Tembe may have sustained some of the injuries by hitting a tree during the fall: branches and leaves were found in her hair and on her body.

The hearing is due to resume on November 17, 2026.