LGBTIQ+ activists and Khayelitsha residents call for justice after 16-year-old Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi ‘stoned and set alight’.
Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi, also known as Ntlanganiso, was killed on Thursday, 4 December 2025, in Site C, Khayelitsha, following an altercation with two acquaintances. According to the Western Cape police, he was assaulted and later succumbed to his injuries.
The bail hearing for the Khayelitsha teenager accused of murdering Kwakhanya was postponed to 17 December for a full bail profile to be filled. Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape, Eric Ntabazalila said more information was required for bail to be considered. The state will oppose bail when the 17-year-old appears in court in a week’s time.
Speaking to journalists outside Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, Kwakhanya’s father, Sicelo Maki said that they are still shocked with what happened to his son. “We were alerted by neighbours who came knocking on my door and we saw him lying down. His body was in a bad state. He was stoned, as if they were killing a snake and was also set alight. They also used buckets to hit him,” said the father of five. “He was a disciplined child and was serious about school work. He was doing Grade 9. He hung out with girls a lot and he would not be involved in what some boys of his age get up to.”
Hate crime?
LGBTIQ+ activists in Khayelitsha claim that Kwakhanya was murdered because he was gay, something that the police have warned against assuming. Scores of people who protested outside Khayelitsha court on Wednesday clearly linked this killing to homophobia.
“The police cannot tell activists on how to feel or how to read the murder of Kwakhanya. The activists are on the ground everyday, we know what we are talking about. We see these things and how they happen, so we will announce things the way we see them. Theirs is to follow procedure and investigate but they should not tell us that it is not a hate crime,” said Funeka Soldaat from Free Gender. “Telling us what to do or say is crossing a line.”
The Western Cape police, in a statement released yesterday, cautioned against the “irresponsible labelling of the murder of 16-year-old Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi as homophobic”. The police insist that the motive for the murder has not yet been established by the investigators.
“Despite clear communication from SAPS that the motive for the murder has not yet been established, some media reports have suggested that the incident was homophobic in nature. We find it necessary to correct this misinformation to prevent unnecessary alarm within a community already burdened by high levels of violent crime,” said the police.
According to Soldaat, safety and security in the Western Cape, and Khayelitsha specifically, is at the top of the list of the national task team (NTT) on gender and sexual orientation-based violence. This NTT was formed by the minister of justice and constitutional development to devise interventions to address gender- and sexual orientation-based violence against LGBTI individuals, with an emphasis on reforming the criminal justice system. Monitoring hate crimes is its mandate, she said.
“Patriarchy and intolerance is the problem. People are unable to tolerate difference and they end up killing those who see things differently from them,” Soldaat said.
Fun and friendly person
Mhlanganisi was a learner at Ntlanganiso High in Site C. His sister and friend described him as fun-loving and friendly. “Kwakhanya was my brother and he was a friendly person who wanted to see everyone happy. He would wear my clothes and start twerking and we would all laugh and have fun. He liked writing a lot,” said Luhleli Mhlanganisi.
“He was a great friend, fun-loving person and friendly with everyone but he died violently only because he was gay. We would spend time together doing school work and play together,” said Nikita Vani.
A memorial service is planned for Thursday evening to honour the life of the 16-year-old.
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