A former imam of the Waterloo Road Mosque in Kenwyn has been arrested after allegedly breaching a Labour Court interdict linked to his dismissal from the mosque.

Moulana Mogamat Farouk Rylands, who served the mosque for about 20 years, was reportedly taken to Pollsmoor Prison this week, prompting concern among community members and calls for urgent legal action.

Labour Court order at centre of Kenwyn mosque imam arrested case

The Kenwyn mosque imam arrested case follows a long-running dispute between Rylands and the Ashrafiah Trust, which oversees the Waterloo Road Mosque. According to the supplied Daily Voice/IOL report, Rylands was dismissed in 2023 but later refused to vacate his position as imam.

In a 5 December 2023 judgment, the Labour Court ordered Rylands to vacate his post and interdicted him from presenting himself as the officiating imam or leading prayers, including Jumuah prayers. The order also barred him from obstructing the Trust from appointing a new imam and from impeding trustees or any imam appointed by the Trust.

The court found that Rylands had been an employee of the Trust and that his right to officiate at the mosque came from his employment contract. It said those rights ended when the contract ended.

According to the supplied report, the latest contempt order alleged that Rylands pushed a trustee on 1 January 2026 and later led the final Jumuah prayer on 6 February 2026. The report states that he received a six-month sentence, wholly suspended for 12 months, on condition that he comply with the 2023 order within seven days.

Community concern grows after Pollsmoor transfer

The Daily Voice/IOL report said residents in the Kenwyn area were notified on Wednesday that Rylands had been arrested and moved to Pollsmoor Prison.

The Kenwyn Islamic Society expressed disappointment over the arrest and said an urgent ex parte application was being prepared to bring Rylands before the Labour Court for a factual enquiry. It also said the application would seek his release from Pollsmoor Prison.

Legal expert Igshaan Higgins, director of DKVG Attorneys, told IOL that the matter should be referred to mediation. He argued that a mosque is regarded as waqf and said community governance should form part of the solution.

Earlier court history and responses

The dispute has been before the courts before. In August 2023, the Labour Court set aside an earlier interdict after Rylands applied to rescind it and sought condonation for late filings. The court noted that nearly 500 people from Kenwyn and surrounding areas had signed a petition supporting him.

However, the Labour Court later granted a fresh interdict in December 2023. A Constitutional Court case record also lists Moulana Mogamat Farouk Rylands v Ashrafiah Trust under case number CCT115/24.