South Africa: Police Mum On Muhsin Hendricks Murder Investigation

Memorial held at Open Mosque in Wynberg at the weekend

• Police have provided no information on the progress of the investigation into the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, the openly gay imam.
• Tribute was paid to Hendricks at a service of the Open Mosque on Saturday.
• Hendricks’s foundation currently appears to be closed and its website is “temporarily unavailable”.

More than three weeks since the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, an openly gay imam, no one has been arrested, and police are giving no details about the investigation’s progress.

Hendricks was gunned down on 15 February in Gqeberha. A widely circulated video shows a Volkswagen, where Hendricks was seated in the back, attempting to pull away before being blocked by a Hilux double cab bakkie. An unidentified gunman emerges from the Hilux and fires multiple shots towards the back window where Hendricks was seated. The video also shows a second man exiting the Hilux, but it’s hard to make out what he is doing. The two people get back into the bakkie and drive away. The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured.

There appears to be little in the video that identifies the murderers.

Captain Sandra Van Rensburg, SAPS spokesperson for Nelson Mandela Bay, told GroundUp that no updates are currently available, and that the investigation is still ongoing.

We asked multiple SAPS members for comment, but received no response.

South Africa’s conviction rate for murders is extremely low. Guy Lamb, a criminologist at Stellenbosch University wrote in The Conversation: “Between 2019/20 and 2021/22, police recorded 66,486 murder cases. Of these, only 8,103 (12%) resulted in a guilty verdict.”

Memorial service for Hendricks

The Open Mosque in Wynberg is described as a “non-sectarian, gender equal and Quran-centric mosque” and a “space for open minded and forward-thinking individuals”. Contrary to popular belief, Hendricks was not the Imam at this mosque. The term “open” means that people are welcome, regardless of gender and faith.

The mosque is sometimes incorrectly confused with the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, Muhsin Hendricks’s foundation.

A Ramadan iftar programme was held at the Open Mosque on Saturday evening.

Although attendance was modest, with fewer than half of the allocated seats filled, those present were deeply engaged during the evening’s proceedings.

Shortly before the programme began, Taj Hargey, the President of the Open Mosque, spoke with GroundUp, emphasising the institution’s inclusive nature.

“We wanted a mosque that is open to all, this is the only mosque in the country that says it’s non sectarian, where men and women are equal and pray together.

“The open mosque is a trailblazing institution trying to show that there is a new way of Islam.”

Hargey emphasised that representatives of Hendricks were invited, but did not attend.

During the service Hargey delivered a eulogy for Hendricks, outlining his life and beliefs. Despite not agreeing with everything he represented, he said he had great respect for him.

“It really pains and grieves me that a human being was taken so cruelly out of this world. I thought he was a really kind, gentle, lovely soul,” said Hargey.

“I had great respect for him and what he did was quite amazing about Islam. He’s come up with a sort of a new focus on Islam. He said that … – and I fully agree with it – he wanted a compassion-centered Islam.”

Attendees were given a chance to pay tribute to Hendricks. Nicole Ravelo-Hoerson said: “When I read the message that Imam Muhsin Hendricks was shot dead … my heart sunk. His tragic death meant that his family, community, this country and the world lost someone who was dedicated to tolerance and compassion.”

Hargey led attendees in prayer in which Muslims and non-Muslims were invited to join. In a gesture of inclusivity, men and women stood together in prayer, with women on the left and men on the right.

A buffet was served in which an eclectic group of people mixed warmly together.

Foundation and family

We attempted to get comment from the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation. But no one would respond. Currently the organisation’s website states that it is “temporarily unavailable”. We also attempted to visit the foundation but it was closed when we arrived.

We tried to speak to family members of Hendricks, but they did not want to go on record.