The murder case of two accused has been postponed to Thursday May 7 for further investigation in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court on Thursday 15 January.
Aphelele Holoshe and Lona Awuwa are accused of the brutal murder of Kwakhanya Ntlanganiso. He was a 16-year-old when he was killed in December last year.
The body of Ntlanganiso, who was a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual (LGBTQI) + community, was discovered between the shacks at BT informal settlement in Site C on Thursday 4 December last year, his eyes gouged out, bricks were found next to his severely injured head and his abdomen was partially burnt. (‘Bludgeoned to death’, City Vision, 11 December 2025).
Magistrate Brendale Abrahams from Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court stated that both accused don’t want bail. “Their next appearance will be on Thursday 7 May and their case will be held on television. They won’t be in the courtroom as usual,” said Abrahams.
Lesbian activist and a founder of Free Gender, Funeka Soldaat said they are pleased with the fact that they are still in jail. Free Gender is an non-profit organisation that fights for the rights and lives of black lesbians in the townships.
Soldaat vowed to continue coming to court until the last day of the case.
“We will monitor all the court proceedings. This might be the tactics of the court for us to lose interest in the case. And once the magistrate perceives that we are no longer coming in numbers in court then they start with the verdict. We need to be smart and think ahead,” said Soldaat. She described the case as a hate crime.
