GQEBERHA ‘HIT’A year later, no arrests for the killing of Muhsin Hendricks, SA’s first openly gay imamByVincent Cruywagen

Crimes committed against members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including the murder of the first openly gay imam Muhsin Hendricks (58), raise serious concerns about the persistent failure to adequately investigate and prosecute alleged hate crimes. Hendricks was murdered in February 2025, and to date, no arrests have been made, reinforcing fears that violence targeting LGBTQIA+ people continues to be met with impunity. 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.

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While speculation remains rife, the motive for his murder is unknown and investigations continue. 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. 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.

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