The highly anticipated murder trial of comedian and social media personality SABC Livhu, whose real name is Livhuwani Madadzhe, took an unexpected turn when he was arrested in court on charges related to the theft of a rented vehicle.
Madadzhe appeared in the Thohoyandou High Court, sitting in Waterval, on Monday, where he faced a charge of murdering his girlfriend, Lindelani Nengovhela, two years ago. Her body was found floating in a water-filled, disused toilet pit at their home in Mangondi Ha-Sidou village.
Court proceedings were interrupted when police arrived and revealed that Madadzhe was wanted in connection with fraud and theft charges. He was handcuffed, and the murder case was adjourned to 17 March.
Initially, it was speculated that the new charges related to allegations that he faked his mother's death in 2017 and used a fraudulent death certificate to claim insurance money. However, when Madadzhe appeared in court again on Tuesday, it emerged that he had allegedly committed further offences while out on bail.
According to the state, Madadzhe is accused of stealing a vehicle from Avis Car Hire and fraudulently renting it out for personal financial gain. Court documents allege that he hired a white BMW X3 from Avis and then unlawfully sublet it to a third party without the company's consent. The individual who received the car reportedly paid Madadzhe as if they had rented it directly from him. Moreover, he allegedly failed to return the vehicle by the agreed-upon date of 16 February 2025, leading to legal action against him.
Once news broke of the latest allegations, attention turned to Madadzhe's social media pages. On Sunday, he posted an advert on his Facebook page, Captain SABC Livhu Online TV, stating that he was selling a 2024 BMW X3 20d xDrive for a non-negotiable R1 million. He described the sale as urgent and said that interested buyers should contact his wife.
Tensions ran high in court on Tuesday as the state prosecutor and defence attorney, Advocate Khuliso Negota, clashed over the charges. Negota insisted that his client had not stolen the vehicle, but the court emphasised that this was merely a preliminary hearing and not the trial itself.
Initially, Madadzhe was charged with "using a motor vehicle without the owner's consent", but prosecutors later upgraded the charge to theft. His formal bail application is set for 18 March, when the court will decide whether he will remain in custody.
For now, Madadzhe remains behind bars at Thohoyandou Correctional Services, awaiting his back-to-back court appearances.
The regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, said Madadzhe is on trial for murder and two counts of fraud. He was previously released on R50,000 bail with stringent conditions, including that he may not interfere with state witnesses and must report to the Sandton Police Station every Monday and Friday between 08:00 and 16:00.
Malabi-Dzhangi confirmed that the theft case has been postponed to 18 March for a bail application, while his High Court trial is scheduled to continue on 17 March.