The much-anticipated trial of popular musician and religious leader Bishop Roxley Masevhe hit a dramatic snag on Monday when his defence team claimed they were unprepared, forcing the Thohoyandou High Court to postpone proceedings to January 2026.
Masevhe, the renowned gospel singer and founder of Fire Temple Ministries in Itsani, was scheduled to face trial from 8 to 12 September 2025 after the Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority reinstated rape charges against him.
The court granted the defence's request for more time, setting a new trial date for 19 January 2026.
Masevhe faces four counts of rape, part of an initial 11 charges that had been provisionally withdrawn in July 2024 due to outstanding aspects of the NPA's investigation.
The allegations involve a 17-year-old Grade 12 learner, with the alleged abuse said to have begun in January 2023 and continuing until the victim lodged a complaint in early January 2024. Masevhe was arrested on 8 January 2024 and granted R20,000 bail by the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court.
Reactions to the latest postponement were mixed.
Calvin Nengudza of the Real Man Foundation, which supports the victim and her family, welcomed the delay. "As an organisation, we are conversant with the running of the courts. The 19 January date will come, and we will continue monitoring this case until its finalisation," he said.
Thelma Marole of the DA expressed disappointment. "The defence knew all along that the case had been temporarily withdrawn. They had all the time to prepare. The many postponements are among the reasons the community loses faith in the justice system. We will await the wheels of justice to move at their own pace, and we will stand by the victim and her family until justice is served," she said.