Limpopo musician Lehlogonolo Katlego Chauke, 30, popularly known as Shebeshxt, has again failed to convince the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court that he should be released on bail.
Shebeshxt appeared in the court on Thursday to receive the verdict in another attempt to apply for bail on new facts.
The new facts include his medical condition, which Magistrate Godfrey Netshiozwi said was not serious enough, given that Shebeshxt had never made any complaint to prison officials.
He further questioned how the musician was allegedly able to commit other offences, such as being found with banned substances in his jail cell, while suffering from a serious medical condition.
‘No complaint’
“One would expect that the accused was undergoing a pain, a serious pain. Despite that, there has been an alleged commission of the other offences after such an observation,” said Magistrate Netshiozwi.
“The evidence from one of the managers in the correctional service suggested that if the prisoner has a complaint, such a complaint is recorded in a register as a complaint or request. And ever since the incarceration of the applicant in the correctional service, he has never made any request or complaint.
“That indicated that even if a prisoner wants to use the services of his private practitioner, such applications can be made and can be authorised. The accused defence counsel indicated that he lodged a complaint about the prison authority’s failure to attend to the applicant in this matter. And the letter that he referred to, I think it was dated 17 April 2026.
“The said letter was not directed to the relevant people, save for it went to the area secretary. That if indeed this issue was really concerning, one would have expected the defence counsel to even go to the said correctional service to find out why, ever since they received the letter, they are not acting on the request. The 17th of April is about three or two weeks back. For the past five months that he referred to, there is no any complaint or request lodged even in the register at correctional service.”
Shebeshxt’s ‘new’ facts
The court was asked to make a new finding based on new facts Shebeshxt’s legal representatives presented to the court; however, Magistrate Netshiozwi said there were no new facts to consider.
“It was held that in considering an application for bail brought on the strength of new facts, the court’s approach is to consider whether they are, in the first instance, new facts and if they are, reconsider the bail application on such new facts against the background of the old facts.
“The issue of the applicant’s medical condition was ventilated even in the previous initial bail application, that he was involved in a motor vehicle accident and that he lost a child in the said accident.
“And after considering the submission made by both the state and the applicant’s defence counsel, he was satisfied that the accused failed to discharge the onus that there are new facts which prove exceptional circumstances that, in the interest of justice, justify this release on bail.
“The evidence that has been presented constituted an embroidery of the already known facts which existed even at the time of the initial bail application. This court is simply interpreting the law that applies to this bail application. The consequence thereto, if there are no new facts which have been presented before the court, the law provides that the status quo remains.”
Shebeshxt was arrested in November 2025 following a shooting incident in Ladanna, Polokwane, on 19 October 2025. His previous attempts to secure bail have been unsuccessful, keeping him in detention.
He is accused of nine counts, including three attempted murders, assault GBH, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
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