LGBTIQ+ groups in Khayelitsha see justice delayed in Kwakhanya murder case

Free Gender and Khulani Khayelitsha Queer Hub say they are concerned about delays in the Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi murder case. The 16-year-old gay teenager was killed on 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.

At the last court hearing of the case, 9 January, the magistrate was infuriated by the investigating officer who said he did not have the docket as it is with the National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and that he was planning to go on leave (as reported by Sandiso Phaliso).

The issue of the whereabouts of the docket prompted LGBTIQ+ activists and Free Gender to call a meeting with the NPA. In the meeting, according to Funeka Soldaat, the advocacy lobbyist from Free Gender, the NPA blamed poor communication between the NDPP and the South African Police Services. Soldaat said they also learnt that the investigating officer had been changed without the Mhlanganisi family being notified.

The two accused, Lona Awuwa and Aphelele Holoshe, were arrested earlier in the week. On Thursday, they abandoned their right to apply for bail and will now appear via the audio-visual service of the court on the 7th of May.

“We are not happy with the issue around the docket because even today we were told that they only have a copy and not the original. We thought we addressed this with the meeting with the NPA,” said Sibusiso Nqunqeka from Khulani Khayelitsha Queer Hub. “Secondly, someone has clearly advised the two accused to abandon bail hoping that it would take the attention away from them and that we would be discouraged from attending the court case and they can at a later stage apply for bail. The dragging out of the proceedings is not fair to the Mhlanganisi family and to us as well,” Nqunqeka said.

Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi was killed in Khayelitsha in December 2025 for allegedly being gay. Photo supplied

Family not coping with the loss

Kwakhanya’s father, Sicelo Maki told Elitsha that the delays are inflicting more pain on the family as they are still learning to cope without their child. “We are not coping at all. My child was killed like a dog,” said a visibly emotional Maki. “The only thing that would make things better is for the court proceedings to continue and not be affected by delays anymore,” he said.

According to media reports, Mhlanganisi’s eyes were gouged out and had gaping wounds in his head and that there were attempts to burn his body using plastic bags and buckets.

Hate crime and LGBTIQ+ people live in fear

“How can it not be a hate crime if he was killed the way he was. In our engagement with the NPA we emphasised that we believe that he was killed because he is gay,” said Soldaat. “The public needs to know that the police themselves can be homophobic and this would lead them not asking the right questions. We will also engage SAPS on this and as an organisation see if we can engage the FCS [Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences] unit of the police. Because it ultimately depends on the questions that the investigating officer asks. They can ask questions to prove their bias,” said Soldaat. Many more hate crimes happen than are reported, she continued, as the investigating officers fail to ask the right questions.

The brutal murder of Mhlanganisi has caused fear in the LGBTIQ+ in Khayelitsha, according to Nqunqeka. “Now you find us in groups instead of just being out there enjoying life. Because we do not know who is next. We are not sure who works or who the two accused are associated with and when they will attack next,” he said.

“We are going to continue to mobilise ourselves and attend the court case and fight other forms of discrimination against queer people,” said Nqunqeka.