The most recent victim of a string of brutal anti-gay murders in South Africa was found face down in a pool of blood on Monday morning (15 April).

Dr Carl Miscke, a gay professor at the University of Johannesburg, was stabbed multiple times after inviting his killer or killers into his home.

Police have confirmed his death will be investigated alongside those of eight other murder victims, the first of whom was found dead in April 2010 tied up and bludgeoned to death with a laptop computer.

The nine murders were all committed in the South African regions of Guateng and Cape Town.

Today (18 April), three men believed to be members of a gang linked to the murders will appear in a South African court.

Maxwell Nyathi, Mthokozisi Ndlovu and Bheki Maseko were arrested for the murder of Barney van Heerden, found strangled in his home in September 2011.

Heerden is also alleged to have invited his killers into his home after meeting them online. He lived only a few streets away from the most recent victim’s home.

Since the first killing, there have been long delays in police proceedings related to the cases and investigations continue to develop relatively slowly.

In November, South African police admitted four of the victims appeared to have been murdered by the same person.

Like with Miske and Heerden, the victims include gay South Africans from a range of racial backgrounds who had met the killer through online dating sites.

Local activist groups have accused police of mishandling the nine murder investigations because of the sexuality of murder victims.

Dawie Nel, the director of Pretoria-based gay rights group OUT, told Eye Witness News: ‘We call on the police to please take this seriously, and increase the urgency of their investigation to ensure justice for the victims and their families.’

As reported by The Huffington Post, Javu Baloyi from the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) said: ‘The Commission is concerned about the long delays in cases related to the issue.

‘CGE views these acts as criminal acts and the perpetrators deserve to face the full might of the law.’

