Tearaway recording artist Katlego Lehlogonolo “Shebeshxt” Chauke is set to return to the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for his third bail application based on new facts.
The hitmaker has appointed a new legal representative, while his pre-trial proceedings scheduled for this week have been placed on hold pending the outcome of his latest bail bid.
Chauke, who is known for songs including “Ambulance”, has been behind bars since his arrest in November last year.
The rapper’s legal troubles arise from a road-rage shooting that allegedly occurred along Witklip Street in Ladanna, outside Polokwane, in October last year.
The National Prosecuting Authority in Limpopo alleges that a 34-year-old man and his friend approached Chauke and greeted him as fans before he allegedly responded: “Kgane aletlale ka nna?” and opened fire.
The bullet allegedly hit the victim in the jaw before smashing through the window of a Nissan vehicle belonging to the witness.
The injured man was taken to Polokwane Provincial Hospital for medical treatment.
Police initially registered two attempted murder charges at Westernburg SAPS before the matter was handed over to the provincial unit for further investigation.
During Chauke’s arrest, police also seized his vehicles for forensic examination.
The case has since grown substantially, with the initial two charges increasing to 21, including four counts of attempted murder.
The State subsequently added charges including assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, malicious damage to property and negligent discharge of a firearm.
By the time Chauke made his first appearance in the Regional Court, 11 additional charges had been added, bringing the total to 20 at that stage.
As the case has progressed, Chauke has also changed his legal team several times.
During his initial bail proceedings, he was represented by Lot Ramusi and Advocate Isaac Mokgopo through Ramusi Attorneys.
He later parted ways with parts of that legal team and appointed attorney Michael Khumalo to spearhead fresh bail applications based on new facts.
Most recently, he brought Senior Counsel Advocate Laurence Hodes into his defence team.
Chauke’s second bail application based on new facts was dismissed by the magistrate’s court last month.
His subsequent appeal at the Polokwane High Court was also unsuccessful after Judge Karin Pillay found that he allegedly committed Schedule 6 offences while he was out on bail.
His legal troubles deepened while in custody after he was hit with another charge when prison officials allegedly discovered a smartphone, empty sachets containing traces of an unidentified substance and a suspected drug pipe in his cell.
His pre-trial proceedings were scheduled to start on Thursday, following the failure of his latest bail appeal at the Polokwane High Court last month.
