Community outraged after alleged homophobic murder of 16-year-old in Khayelitsha

AN ALLEGED homophobic-related murder in Khayelitsha has sparked outrage after the body of 16-year-old Kwakhanya “Ntlanganiso” Mhlanganisi was found in Site C with multiple injuries and his eyes allegedly gouged out.

Residents gathered outside the Khayelitsha Magistrate's Court to demand justice on Monday morning, claiming the killing was motivated by homophobia.

Sibusiso Orestes Nqunqeka, from the Khulani Khayelitsha Queer Hub, said the teenager was brutally assaulted, set alight and killed.

Nqunqeka said: “This horrific incident has deeply affected our community. Justice delayed is justice denied. We believe the boy was killed because he is gay.

“The law must take its course. The 17-year-old who allegedly killed Ntlanganiso must get life sentence without parole, to set an example for people who commit hate crimes.”

The victim’s aunt, Nontombi Mthegeni, described her nephew as a happy child who had many female friends, saying the family had known he was gay from a young age and had fully accepted him.

According to Mthegeni, Ntlanganiso was allegedly confronted by a group of boys who mocked him, calling him a “b**ch” and a “gay-b**ch.” They allegedly tried to rob him of his ciders, and he managed to fight back and escape.

She said: “They went looking for him and found him in a passage where they ambushed him and hit him with bricks and stones.”

She alleged the attackers hit him so hard in the face that his facial bones were broken and that his eyes “popped out”.

Mthegeni said the attackers allegedly placed him inside a 20-litre bucket when he lost consciousness and set it alight, before community members rushed to alert the family.

“We are broken as a family,” she said.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that Khayelitsha police opened a murder case after the discovery of the body on Thursday, 4 December 2025, at about 12.15am in BT Block, Site C.

Twigg reported: “Police members attended the crime scene and found the victim with multiple injuries. The motive for the attack forms part of the investigation. A 17-year-old male was arrested in connection with the incident on Sunday, 7 December 2025.”

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.