A year later, no arrests for the killing of Muhsin Hendricks, SA's first openly gay imam

On Wednesday, 7 January 2026, Bafana Khumalo, co-executive director of Sonke Gender Justice, told Daily Maverick that the lack of arrests in the murder of Imam Muhsin Hendricks was “somewhat strange, given that the circumstances surrounding the brutal killing had provided investigators with some clues”.

There were possible leads, such as known persons of interest who had threatened him before.

“This makes us wonder whether this case is not falling into the same category of cases involving members of the LGBTQIA+ community, many of which remain unresolved,” Khumalo said.

“This is an indictment of our criminal justice system, which seems not to apply the necessary zeal in such cases. It is important that the media and interest groups in society keep such cases alive until there [are] some arrests to ensure accountability. All lives matter,” he said.

Imam Hendricks, often described as the “world’s first openly gay imam”, was gunned down in an apparent hit in Bethelsdorp, Gqeberha, on the morning of Saturday, 15 February 2025. While speculation remains rife, the motive for his murder is unknown and investigations continue.

Read more: Condolences, tributes pour in for Muhsin Hendricks, openly gay imam shot dead at weekend

Hendricks was the founder of The Inner Circle and in 2011 established the LGBTQIA+ inclusive Masjidul Ghurbaah Mosque.

His family was concerned about the death threats he regularly received before his murder, but understood his commitment to queer Muslims who wanted to practice Islam without shame.

According to Moegsien Hendricks, the late imam’s cousin, Hendricks had long lived with regular death threats as well as vitriol directed at him on social media.

Read more: Queer, interfaith couples wed by Muhsin Hendricks pay homage to imam’s faith, love and acceptance

Khumalo’s criticism of the criminal justice system follows confirmation by the SAPS that, nearly a year after the killing, no arrests have been made.

On Tuesday, 6 January, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa, responding to Daily Maverick’s enquiry, said: “The South African Police Service (SAPS) can confirm that in terms of the Imam Hendricks murder case, no arrests have been made yet. The investigation still continues.”

This response has deepened concern, as it appears to contradict earlier assurances by Deputy Minister of Justice Andries Nel, who announced shortly after Hendricks’ murder that police were “hot on the heels” of the killers.

Nearly a year later, despite widespread calls for action from international bodies such as ILGA World and from the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation — which Hendricks founded to support queer Muslims — there has been no arrest and no meaningful response.

South Africa’s leading LGBTQIA+ news and community platform, MambaOnline, summed up the deafening silence, describing “months of unanswered questions, sleepless nights and aching hearts — and months of silence from the very institutions meant to ensure justice”.

‘Deeply troubling’

Siyabulela Monakali, spokesperson for Ilitha Labantu — a Western Cape-based organisation that addresses domestic and political violence as well as the abuse of women’s and children’s rights — said he was deeply concerned by police confirmation that, to date, no arrests have been made in the murder of Hendricks.

“The absence of tangible progress several months after his killing is deeply troubling, particularly given the seriousness of the crime and its impact on his family, community and the broader public.

“South Africa has previously witnessed cases involving the murder of LGBTQI+ individuals take extended periods to reach resolution or remain unresolved,” he said.

Sonke Gender Justice and other LGBTQIA+ rights organisations argue that the South African justice system is failing victims of hate crimes due to systemic inefficiencies and significant delays that often lead to “justice delayed is justice denied” accusations.

Read more: Dying to be heard — gloomy picture of the slow pace of South African courts

Responding to the lack of arrests in the murder and the absence of public updates from the SAPS, the board of the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation said the silence had deepened feelings of despair and anger in the community.

“We feel lost. Angry. Sad. Fearful. Unheard. Devalued. Everyone’s life matters, regardless of who they are or how they identify. Yet in a country that claims to uphold safety and equality for all, there is a vast gap between what is written in law and what is practised in reality,” the board said.

Another brutal killing

To underscore his concern, Khumalo pointed to another alleged homophobic murder — that of 16-year-old Kwakhanya “Ntlanganiso” Mhlanganisi, whose body was discovered in Site C, Khayelitsha, on 3 December 2025.

The Khulani Khayelitsha Queer Hub, with the victim’s family, community members and activists, purports that the murder of Mhlanganisi was a homophobic hate crime.

Mhlanganisi was allegedly beaten with bricks, set alight and had their eyes gouged out, a killing that sent shockwaves through South Africa’s LGBTQIA+ community.

An 18-year-old suspect has since appeared in the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court, and the case is expected to return to court next month for a bail hearing.

While there was an arrest for Mhlanganisi’s murder, a pattern of stalled, delayed and withdrawn hate crime cases — some with no arrests at all — continues to haunt the criminal justice system. These include:

• The 2008 murder of Banyana Bayana player and gay activist Eudy Simelane. Her case was concluded only in 2009, following an about year-long investigation and trial process.
• No one has been arrested or convicted in the 2011 murder of Noxolo Nogwaza, 24, a lesbian activist. She was found murdered in a drainage ditch in the KwaThema township, near Johannesburg, on 24 April 2011. She had been raped, repeatedly stabbed with broken glass, and her head had been crushed by a large brick. She was an active member of the Ekurhuleni Pride Organising Committee (Epoc), which has organised pride marches for KwaThema and nearby townships in Ekurhuleni.
• The suspect in the 2022 murder of Athule Mahlathini, a member of the LGBTQI+ community, who was beaten and set alight, was released in July 2025 because of a missing police docket, repeated delays and absent witnesses.
• The case of seven men facing attempted murder and other charges, who allegedly kidnapped a Wits University student by luring him through the dating app Grindr in September 2023, has not yet begun. The trial is expected to start in February 2026. DM

Anyone with information on Imam Muhsin Hendricks’ murder is urged to contact the investigating officer, Detective Colonel Dawie Schotz, on 082 319 8673, or SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or to report the information at their nearest police station.

At the time of writing, SAPS hadn’t responded to follow-up questions regarding concerns of its handling of LGBTQI+ cases. Its comment will be added once received.