Shebeshxt Nears 1 Year in Custody As Bail Fight Heads to November Court Date

• Lekompo artist Shebeshxt has been behind bars since November 2025, with his charge sheet growing to a staggering 21 counts
• His defence team introduced a ballistics expert who challenged key elements of the State's case during a fresh bail application
• The Polokwane Magistrates' Court adjourned proceedings on 29 October, with the next hearing set for mid-November

It has been nearly a full year since Lehlohonolo "Shebeshxt" Chauke was taken into custody, and the Limpopo Lekompo artist is no closer to freedom. His case, which began as a single shooting incident in Polokwane, has since snowballed into one of the most complex criminal proceedings the region's music scene has ever witnessed.

How it all started

The trouble began on 19 October 2025 along Witklip Street in Ladanna, Polokwane, where an altercation at a petrol station allegedly ended with shots fired at a vehicle. A 34-year-old motorist was left seriously injured. After a Limpopo Provincial Investigation Unit probe, police arrested Chauke at his Bendor home on 12 November. He was initially charged with attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, and has remained in custody ever since.

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What followed was a steady accumulation of legal pressure. Multiple bail applications, filed in both the magistrate's and high courts, were all turned down. Prosecutors simultaneously consolidated several open dockets into one indictment, and by mid-2026 the charge sheet had ballooned to 21 counts, covering attempted murder, reckless and negligent driving, and aggravated robbery.

Ballistics expert challenges state's case

As the one-year mark of his detention approached, Chauke's legal team mounted a fresh bail bid anchored in what they described as "new facts." The centrepiece was testimony from defence-appointed ballistics expert Christo de Klerk, who systematically picked apart the State's account of the Ladanna shooting. De Klerk highlighted missing cartridge cases, an absence of bullet particles, no corroborating CCTV footage, and inconsistencies surrounding the victim's injuries.

State Advocate Kgaugelo Lekoloane pushed back hard during cross-examination, grilling Chauke over contradictions between his own affidavits regarding police conduct. Tensions escalated to the point where the defence briefly accused the presiding officer of bias, a claim that Magistrate Godfrey Netshiozwi flatly rejected.

Proceedings were adjourned on 29 October 2026, with the court scheduled to reconvene between 9 and 12 November. The State is expected to call its own witnesses to counter the defence's ballistic arguments and oppose Chauke's release.

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For the artist and those backing him, the November sessions will determine whether independent forensic testimony is enough to shift the tide against a prosecution that has, so far, held firm at every stage.

Ladies swoon over Shebeshxt

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared online reactions to footage from one of Shebeshxt's recent court appearances.

South African women could hardly keep their composure, admiring the controversial rapper's looks and claiming that time in jail had done wonders for him.

Source: Briefly News