Dubbed the “world’s first openly gay Imam”, South African religious leader Muhsin Hendricks was gunned down on 15 February 2025 in an attack that many believe was targeted. Tributes have poured in across the world, but so have online comments that his death was justified.His passing intensifies a global debate about whether queer Muslims belong in the faith. Amanullah De Sondy was a friend of his and is a scholar of Muslim sexuality and masculinity, including the contributions of Hendricks. He … [Read more...] about Murder of Gay South African Imam Muhsin Hendricks Reignites Queer Muslim Debate
News
Imam Muhsin Hendricks, Who Fought for Queer Rights, Assassinated
Imam Muhsin Hendricks ran the Inner Circle, an organisation focused on helping queer Muslims embrace their faith and sexuality. He also was the imam at the People’s Mosque in Wynberg. How was Hendricks murdered? Muhsin Hendricks, an imam who was outspoken in his support of queer people in the South Africa’s Muslim community, was murdered on Saturday in Gqeberha. It is reported that he was the world’s first openly gay imam. According to a statement by police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse Van … [Read more...] about Imam Muhsin Hendricks, Who Fought for Queer Rights, Assassinated
Warriors and Boland Complete Weekend of 1 Day Cup Upsets
DURBAN: An unbeaten century by Jordan Hermann helped the Dafabet Warriors make a strong start to their 1 Day Cup campaign with… DURBAN: An unbeaten century by Jordan Hermann helped the Dafabet Warriors make a strong start to their 1 Day Cup campaign with a commanding 126-run victory over the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in Durban on Sunday. There was also a significant five-wicket win for Goldrush Boland over Momentum Multiply Titans in Paarl – a match in which Imran Manack and … [Read more...] about Warriors and Boland Complete Weekend of 1 Day Cup Upsets
Protesters Angry That Gqeberha Company Is Using Workers From Durban
About 60 members of the Ibhayi Workers Forum protested outside Dormac in the Markman Industrial area, Gqeberha, on Thursday. About 60 members of the Ibhayi Workers Forum protested outside marine and offshore engineering firm Dormac in the Markman Industrial area, Gqeberha, on Thursday. “All these people are unemployed and had high hopes of getting hired when the company opened last year,” said Mzimkulu Piliso, a forum leader. “Some even went through the process of interviewing and were promised … [Read more...] about Protesters Angry That Gqeberha Company Is Using Workers From Durban
Protest Erupts After Neighbourhood Without Power for Weeks
A protest erupted in ward 46 in KwaNobuhle township, Kariega, on Tuesday morning, because over 300 households have not had electricity for three weeks. People blew whistles, sang songs and burnt tyres on Nomakhwezana, Madonci and Zola Nqini streets, blocking them with rubble. A resident, who only identified herself as Nomaxabiso, told GroundUp that a power outage affecting the entire ward since 28 January was only fixed by the municipality on the weekend. But a transformer that had blown before … [Read more...] about Protest Erupts After Neighbourhood Without Power for Weeks
TNPA signs milestone agreements
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has achieved a key milestone in the development of the South Dunes Precinct at the Port of Richards Bay by signing two major Terminal Operator Agreements (TOA). The first agreement for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has been signed with Zululand Energy Terminal, while the other agreement is signed with FFS Tank Terminals. The agreements represent a leap forward in advancing South Africa’s energy and maritime sectors, underscoring TNPA’s strategic … [Read more...] about TNPA signs milestone agreements
No Money to Fix Broken Colchester Clinic, Says Health Department
A mobile clinic parks outside of the Colchester clinic once a week because the building is not suitable to treat patients any longer. The Eastern Cape Department of Health says it would cost millions of rand – which it can’t afford — to refurbish the dilapidated building. The Eastern Cape Department of Health has admitted that the condition at the Colchester clinic is not fit for purpose. Patients complain that the building used for the weekly clinic is falling apart and has no electricity, … [Read more...] about No Money to Fix Broken Colchester Clinic, Says Health Department
Health Workers Bring Dora to a Standstill
The out-patient reception at Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha is usually packed and busy with staff and patients, but on Wednesday the area was nearly empty amidst a strike by nurses and supporting staff. Workers, mostly nurses, have been striking since Monday at Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha over unpaid overtime. This has meant that most patients have been turned away and procedures delayed. Unions blamed the Eastern Cape health department for failing to fix the health system in the … [Read more...] about Health Workers Bring Dora to a Standstill
E-Waste Collection Campaign
The Walker Drive Shopping Centre, Wise Owl Lifestyle and E-Waste Recyclers are having an e-waste collection this Saturday, 25 January 2025 between 08:00 am and 12:00 midday. Most people have an accumulation of old or broken or obsolete electrical and electronic gadgets, computerware and appliances hidden away in their homes. Here is an opportunity to get rid of all of that in one fell swoop. So please support this great initiative. Regards The WESSA ABB Team … [Read more...] about E-Waste Collection Campaign
A Death Sentence for Cancer Patients
Dear EditorThe Oncology Department at Gqeberha’s Provincial Hospital is facing devastating chemotherapy shortages because the Eastern Cape Department of Health has failed to pay its pharmaceutical suppliers. During a recent oversight inspection at Gqeberha’s Provincial Hospital it became apparent that patients did not have access to life-saving cancer treatments because the Department had failed to pay for the drugs. Patients with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and other treatable cancers are now being … [Read more...] about A Death Sentence for Cancer Patients
Makana’s Immigrant-Owned Spaza Shops Remain Closed
Police and Makana Municipality officials in Makhanda closed down shops found to be selling expired food. Well ahead of the 13 December deadline to register shops set by the President last month, Makana Municipality shut down 12 out of 20 spaza shops it inspected in central Makhanda on 26 November. The Makhanda spaza shop owners have not yet managed to comply or reopen their shops. Two cash loan businesses were also shut for compliance failures. Lack of required documentation, improper product … [Read more...] about Makana’s Immigrant-Owned Spaza Shops Remain Closed
Legal Delays Threaten Survival of African Penguins
African Penguins are critically endangered. Conservation organisations are challenging the government’s partial implementation of expert recommendations to protect the critically endangered African Penguin. The legal battle is over the location and size of “no take” fishing zones around penguin breeding sites. The conservationists say the minister for fisheries and the environment Dion George has repeatedly missed court-mandated deadlines and they are calling for punitive costs. The delays, … [Read more...] about Legal Delays Threaten Survival of African Penguins
Planned Eastern Cape Roadworks for Festive Season
Gqeberha, 11 December 2024 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) is advising road users to take note of construction zones that will affect traffic flow on key routes of its Eastern Cape road network during the festive season.“With the festive season approaching and the imminent increase in traffic volumes, we are working hard to ensure that our network is safe and ready to accommodate holiday traffic,” said Mbulelo Peterson, Regional Manager for SANRAL Southern … [Read more...] about Planned Eastern Cape Roadworks for Festive Season
Epileptic Woman Has to Sleep on Concrete Floor at Hospital
Some of the patients at the Uitenhage Provincial Hospital in Kariega have been lying on the floor in the waiting area because the hospital doesn’t have enough bed space in the wards. A mother from KwaNobuhle in Kariega says her sickly daughter has been sleeping on a thin blanket on the cold cement floor in the hallways of Uitenhage Provincial Hospital (UPH) for about a week. She is among dozens of patients lying on the hospital’s floor or on chairs due to a lack of bed space. The woman, who … [Read more...] about Epileptic Woman Has to Sleep on Concrete Floor at Hospital
Sexual Harassment Complaint Against Eastern Cape Judge President Set for January
A Judicial Conduct Tribunal probing a complaint of sexual harassment against Eastern Cape High Court Judge President Selby Mbenenge will sit early next year. A Judicial Conduct Tribunal probing allegations of sexual harassment against Eastern Cape High Court Judge President Selby Mbenenge will start early next year. But some evidence, including WhatsApp messages and photographs he allegedly sent to secretary Andiswa Mengo, will not be heard in public. Tribunal chair Bernard Ngoepe has ruled … [Read more...] about Sexual Harassment Complaint Against Eastern Cape Judge President Set for January
