Almost 11 months after queer teenager Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi was killed in a suspected homophobic hate crime, his mother says repeated court delays are forcing her to relive the day her son died.
“I am not coping.”
For Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi’s mother, those three words capture the weight of a loss compounded by a justice process that continues to demand her patience while offering little respite from her grief.
On Friday, 16 October, the murder case of the 16-year-old was postponed at the Khayelitsha Regional Court to November, extending his family’s wait for the proceedings to advance.
Kwakhanya was killed in Site C, Khayelitsha, on 3 December 2025. Reports indicated that he was beaten and set alight after allegedly being targeted with homophobic slurs.
His death sparked outrage among LGBTQ+ activists and community members, who believe the killing may have been motivated by homophobia. The alleged motive remains to be established through the legal process.
Both accused appeared in court on Friday. Accused number one remains in custody, while accused number two was previously granted bail of R4,000. The magistrate addressed the seriousness of the case, stating that the accused could face life imprisonment if convicted.
The matter was postponed because Kwakhanya’s sister, a witness in the case, was unavailable while writing her matric examinations.
For his mother, the legal proceedings are inseparable from the trauma of losing her child.
“The delays and the postponements keep reminding me of the day my son was killed. I just wish this could be over soon so I can focus on healing,” she said.
Her plea echoes concerns raised during earlier proceedings, when Liyana Quthu of the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation’s LGBT+ Health Division questioned whether the justice system adequately served families affected by violence.
“Whose process is it for? Does it serve those who have endured the pain?” Quthu asked MambaOnline in May.
On Friday, members of Free Gender, Ilitha Labantu, Safe Place International and Amadoda Qotho attended court to support Kwakhanya’s parents, demonstrating that the family’s fight for justice has not been forgotten.
A member of Amadoda Qotho expressed hope that the proceedings would also send a vital message to young people that violence carries serious consequences. They urged the community to return to court in greater numbers on 30 November and called on the media to continue covering the case.
The call for solidarity comes amid broader concerns about violence against LGBTQ+ people and the need for accountability when lives are lost to suspected hate crimes.
Kwakhanya’s family cannot reclaim the future that was taken from their child. They can, however, continue to demand a fair and effective justice process.
The next court date is 30 November 2026.
For a mother who simply wants to heal, it is another date to wait for — and another reminder that the journey towards justice remains unfinished.
