‘Shot in cold blood’: South Africa rocked by disturbing trend
A horrifying spate of cold-blooded attacks against a group of people in one country has left many fearing for their lives.
South Africa has been rocked by a disturbing trend of violent attacks against LGBTQ individuals following the recent assassination of the world’s first openly gay imam.
Muslim leader Muhsin Hendricks, 58, was attending a wedding in Haley Place, Bethelsdorp, Gqeberha, on February 15 when he was gunned down in cold blood, which many believe was a targeted hit.
Mr Hendricks ran a LGBTI-friendly mosque at Wynberg near Cape Town and came out as gay in 1996.
In a chilling video shared on social media, Mr Hendricks was sitting in a gold-coloured VW T-Roc with his driver when a silver-coloured HiLux double cab pulled up and blocked their path.
A hooded man jumped out and fired multiple shots into the vehicle, killing Mr Hendricks instantly and injuring the driver before fleeing the scene in the HiLux.
Mr Hendricks was a respected religious leader and a long-time advocate for queer rights, beloved by many.
His death was a sobering reality for queer individuals in South Africa, with at least 47 people members of the LGBTQ community killed in the last year.
“He wasn’t just any spiritual leader,” one activist who worked with Mr Hendricks at The Inner Circle — a queer organisation founded by Mr Hendricks — told news.com.au.
“He was a lifeline and a beacon of hope for queer Muslims. His murder has been devastating for us and was a direct attack on that hope.”
Mr Hendricks’ murder is widely suspected to be a religiously motivated hate crime, fuelled by years of death threats and relentless condemnation from prominent figures who vilified him for advocating an inclusive vision of Islam that embraced queer identity.
Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), confirmed a statement from the Eastern Cape Office of the Provincial Commissioner, which indicated that Mr Hendricks was killed in the shooting.
“The motive for the murder remains unknown, as it is still under investigation,” she stated.
While police have opened an investigation into Hendricks’ death, there have been no arrests, and authorities have not commented on the possibility of a hate crime.
For almost 30 years, Mr Hendricks challenged traditional Islamic doctrine with unwavering courage, advocating that it is possible to be both Muslim and queer.
After studying at the Islamic University of Karachi, he lived a conventional life where he went on to marry a woman and they had three children.
But in 1996, after coming out as gay and his divorce, he was removed from his role as an imam.
Undeterred, he took his fight public and founded The Inner Circle, an organisation dedicated to reconciling Islam with LGBTQ+ identities and offering refuge to those rejected by their families or religious institutions.
In 2011, he established the Masjidul Ghurbaah mosque, a space explicitly inclusive of gender and sexual minorities. Just a year later, he made headlines around the world by officiating the Islamic wedding of two Muslim women, a historic moment that sparked both celebration and fierce backlash.
Fellow Imam praises killers
Shortly after Mr Hendricks’ death, a prominent Cape Town imam and Islamic scholar, Sheikh Jameel Adams, began openly fuelling anti-LGBTQ+ hatred by praising the imam’s killers and declaring that homosexuality should be punished by death.
In a video circulating online, Mr Adams, who’s an imam at Masjid-ut-Tawheed mosque, launches into a hate-filled rant, targeting Mr Hendricks and inciting violence against queer Muslims.
His remarks have sparked outrage, with activists warning that such rhetoric is putting more lives at risk in an already hostile climate.
“To be clear, there can be no such thing in Islam as a gay imam,” Adams said.
“If he was gay, he’s not an imam. Because to be an imam, he must be a person of Taqwa [a pious, and God-fearing].
“He cannot be an imam because he cannot be followed.
“Lesson no. 1, when they say, ‘Oh, this gay imam, they’re trying to spread this poison. In Islam, there’s no such thing.
“Being gay or a homosexual which he openly proclaimed is a major sin, the worst of sins, the most detestable sin, an abominable action, an evil, illicit deed, so evil, so vile, so disgusting”
In the viral video, Adams also claims that Mr Hendricks’ sexuality stripped him of any Islamic character, branding him sinful and saying he “deserved what he got.”
He then recites scripture in Arabic that calls for the execution of queer people.
“You men approach men with your desires instead of women, doing the actions of the people of Lot,” he said, citing religious texts.
“Execute the one doing and the one being done to. The ruling of the Sharia states that whoever you find doing the action of the people of Lot should be executed. Both the one doing it and the one it is done to.”
Adams doesn’t stop there. He warned that Mr Hendricks was “an apostate” who should not be prayed over and or be buried with Muslims.
Alongside the viral videos came reports of a “hit list” allegedly being circulated within conservative Muslim circles in South Africa.
The list is said to include the names of high-profile Muslims who spoke out against Mr Hendricks’ murder. For safety reasons, queer activists have been urged to remain silent about it and keep their investigations discreet.
South Africa, often regarded as a safe haven for queer Africans because of its progressive constitution, is becoming increasingly unsafe.
Queer activist killed
The murder of Mr Hendricks comes just a week after another queer activist was killed in what is believed to also have been a targeted assassination.
Mabusi Ntuli was a lesbian business owner who was brutally gunned down by an unknown assailant on her birthday in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Earlier that day, Ms Mabusi had celebrated her birthday with friends. That evening, two young men wearing hats entered her small liquor shop to buy alcohol.
They left without incident but minutes later, one returned carrying a backpack. He asked to buy another bottle.
As Ms Mabusi turned her back to fetch it, he pulled out a gun and shot her multiple times.
She collapsed to the floor, but the gunman continued firing until she was dead.
Ms Mabusi’s friends described her as fun, kind-hearted, and deeply loved in her community. Reports say she was shot 19 times. A friend who tried to intervene was shot in the hand and watched helplessly as she was killed.
No arrests have been made, and authorities have not confirmed a motive. But Ms Mabusi’s friends are convinced it was a targeted attack and fear, like so many similar cases, it will be ignored and forgotten.
While South Africa is the only country in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage and provide constitutional protections for LGBTQ+ rights, these legal victories do not guarantee safety in everyday life.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in violence against queer individuals. Hate crimes are often not reported, and even when they are, obtaining justice is rare.
The recent murders of Mr Hendricks and Ms Mabusi have heightened fears and raised concerns about a troubling trend of targeted assassinations of queer individuals, which receive minimal attention.
Activists argue that these killings are not random. The victims are often prominent members of the community or activists who challenge conservative religious norms.
Katlego, a South African LGBTQ+ Activist, told news.com.au she believes these series of murders were a clear warning to the LGBTQ community, reminding us that not even progressive laws can keep us safe.
“The message is clear. We might have legal protection, but we can still be punished,” she said.
South Africa’s religious right and far-right groups are increasingly vocal, mirroring neighbouring rhetoric and fuelling public homophobia.
Queer South Africans are also experiencing a rise in online threats and abuse as social media turns into a platform for hate.
“People think South Africa is safe for queer people just because of our progressive laws, but forget laws don’t protect us from bullets and daggers,” Katlego added.
“So It’s safe to say that South Africa’s protections are just a signed piece of paper — because, in reality, we’re being hounded and hunted down.”
Daniel Anthony is a Nigerian freelance writer living in Lagos
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