Cecil Plaatjies Cape Town activities, Tribute

Muhsin Hendricks: From fear to love

On Sunday 15 February 2026 we took part in a memorial service for the slain Imam Muhsin Hendricks. It was a bittersweet day as we remembered the brutal manner in which his life ended, the unsolved murder case, and celebrated his life, lived beautifully. Sadness flowed freely with gratitude, as did mourning and resolute determination to do good.

Rev Laurie Gaum with Dean Terry Lester

Dean Terry Lester opened the event at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. Rev. Laurie Gaum from CTII (& The Queer Faith Collective & Genderworx) did a stunning job as the MC.

The event opened with a Dhikr ceremony (remembrance) led by Ziyaad Follentine, on a big prayer carpet in front of the altar steps.

The Dhikr

Key organising partners were Muhsin’s Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, The Queer Faith Collective, and the CTII.

Words of support from different parts of the country and from abroad were shared, including the USA, Kenya, Canada, the UK, and Germany.

The Heindrich Böll Foundation, the Global Interfaith Network (GIN-SSIGIE), LGBTQIA Traditional Healers Forum, and SA Jews for a Free Palestine, and Inclusive & Affirming Ministries (IAM) also made heartfelt offerings. All presences both in person and by video or remotely were appreciated.

Ven. Rev. Nima Taylor from the Unitarian Church and CTII closed, shared her experience of Muhsin, recalling his deep humanity. And his style.

I was particularly touched by a poem, “My Dua is Love” by Sanah Ahsan, a published poet from the UK.

Poet Sanah Ahsan

The CTII Choir performed between the talks. Their first song was beautifully introduced by Anouschka, a member of the CTII Schools Programme.

Jody and Anouschka of CTII Youth Program

The audience immediately paid attention when the choir started with La ilaha ilalah. Many left their seats to get closer to the choir. The same happened during the performance of the other three songs.

CTII Community Choir

We appreciated all who attended. The event was livestreamed and is available on YouTube.

We are saddened that only a few people from the Muslim community attended. There was a complete absence of progressive Muslim leaders and activists, who are CTII members and interfaith partners. This was an opportunity to stand up for justice, stand against crime, uphold human dignity and remember one of our own, that was missed.

We have immense compassion for those who cannot transcend their differences in order to stand for what is right, and will continue to create spaces for everyone to be spiritually free.

After the service, a protest was held presenting a memorandum to the South African Police Services and placing an effigy representing Muhsin and the absence of closure for us all, in front of the police station.

Justice for imam Muhsin Hendricks!

Cecil Plaatjies Cape Town activities, Excursions

Country Roads: a Reconciliation Day interfaith meander

On Reconciliation Day, December 16th, we have traditionally in Cape Town have organised an Interfaith Walk in District 6. But over these 3 years this became beset with various problems, not least the changing behaviors post-covid and the current divisive world climate.

So yesterday, myself, Cecil Plaatjies, Nic Paton, Aidon Allies, Marie-Therese Nga set out for Mamre to visit the Seutloali family. We took a different route from usual and meandered through upmarket suburbs, vast tracts of farmland, past farm workers’ homes, growing townships and forgotten areas with meaningful names like, Atlantis.

A journey that points to so much that should still be reconciled in this country. Along the winding roads north of Cape Town, we reflected on spatial division, and how many have been flung to outlying areas, with not much access to amenities and opportunity.

It was my second visit after the devastating fire which destroyed the Seutloali homestead. (See “Rising from the Ashes”). We were met with broad smiles and warm hearts. It was a lesson in resilience, hope and victory of the spirit. The Seutloali’s are rebuilding their home and planted crops again.

The homestead

We spent the afternoon in conversation and encouraging each other, and also got to meet another family from the community who came over to visit.

How we spent Reconciliation Day

Interfaith is often viewed as a public event consisting of many different religions on the same platform. Person-to-person dialogue does not make good copy. It is invisible, not easy to quantify and label, but it is a model of real peace work and reconciliation. Something that should become part of our daily interactions with each other.

Without planning or ceremony, we found ourselves having been meaningfully involved in an act of Reconciliation.

Pippa Jones Cape Town activities, Walks and Hikes

Spiritual Friendship is The Path: The Spring Walk

On Saturday 15 November, CTII held the second of its bi-annual hikes in Newlands Forest, led and organised by Nic Paton. Typically, each walk has a theme upon which the participants can reflect, together as well as individually.

This Spring, the themes were “Resistance and Renewal“, and seven ‘stations’ along the path offered our community of walkers the opportunity to take a sacred pause and share with one another prayer, poetry, meditation, ritual, and teachings. Our group was wonderfully diverse in age, faith, tradition, language and background.

Babalwa, Whitney, MJ, Marie Therese and Veli ready for action.

“This entire spiritual life is good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a monk has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that they will develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.”

Buddha’s teaching to Ananda, his faithful attendant

In essence, our togetherness is what sustains us and guides on our way. This is certainly what we experienced, there on the side of Hoerikwaggo, Table Mountain. 

Cecil welcomes us to Land

On the ascent, we began by considering “Resistance”, with Cecil leading us in a ‘Welcome to Land’, an honouring of our connection to all that is, to our history, to the First Peoples of the Khoi and San, and to all those that have walked before us.

Aidon, a graduate of the CTII Youth Programme and resident of Bonteheuwel, urged us to resist the pervasive violence that grips our communities.

Aidon tells it like it is

Steve shared a refection on Isa inspired by the Qur’an, and Whitney enlightened us with the concept of a ‘pluriverse’, the many making up the one.

Isa meets the pluriverse: diversity in action

James, of Faith Hope Love Communities in Elsie’s River, offered us an insight from his Christian response to compassion for all, after which we made the final ascent in sacred silence.

Then, pausing in a gulley with the mountain spring bubbling around us, Nic offered a meditation with music from his flute. 

The Gulley Reflection

On the descent, Raksha from the Brahma Kumaris led us in a meditation of “Renewal”, and Emma shared a poem, inspiring us to ‘Try Softer’.

Raksha and Emma

Then, before completing our walk, Pippa closed the circle with a ritual of contemplation, each of us considering the power and potential of a seed and how we might “be the renewal” we want to see.

Closing Circle

With the beauty and peace of our surrounds, sheltering us from the wind and bathing us in the gentle heat of Spring, we were reminded once again of Nature’s nurturing, and the sustenance to be found in togetherness. This is, as the Buddha said, the essence of our journey, and WE, as community, are the Path for each other.

photos by MJ Mzamo Jilana, Whitney Hedlund, Zahra Jobe and Nic Paton

Nic Paton Cape Town activities

A Good Shabbos at the Mosque

“Good Shabbos” is the traditional English greeting amongst Jews welcoming the Sabbath. On Friday 7th November this goodness was on full public display as Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town hosted the Jewish community for their evening ritual in an exceptional interfaith event. A reported 250 or more people of many faith backgrounds attended and the place was packed.

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