Makhadzi trapped in Botswana: Singer alleges passport confiscation and P100,000 demand

Limpopo music star Makhadzi says she feels kidnapped in Botswana after her passport was allegedly seized and she was told to pay P100,000 pula to secure her release.

The singer, whose real name is Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, made the explosive allegations during a Facebook Live broadcast, claiming a dispute with a Botswana promoter has left her unable to leave the country.

"I'm not coming in peace. I'm doing this live because I need help. Because of where I am now, I feel like I'm kidnapped, even though it doesn't look like that in the background," she said.

Makhadzi claims the demand for money came after an earlier proposal to hold her vehicle as security was apparently abandoned.

"Now they don't want the option of the car. Now they want us to draft a letter and give him money. He wants me to give him money, one hundred thousand pula, for me to just leave and secure this thing."

She questioned what the money was allegedly being demanded for, insisting that she was prepared to have the dispute settled in court.

"My question now is, money for what? Because I didn't do anything. If you are saying you have a problem, I'm saying I don't have a problem. We can go to court to argue. If I'm wrong, the law will say she was wrong, you were right," she said.

The dispute is with a promoter she identifies as PP, whom several publications have named as Botswana businessman Gilbert "PP wa Pimp" Seagile.

Makhadzi says the confrontation began on Saturday night while she was performing at a show in Botswana.

She claims she was performing her fourth song when her road manager alerted her that police officers had arrived looking for her.

But she questioned their identity, saying the men were not wearing uniforms and refused to identify themselves.

"I said, how do I trust you? How do I believe you that you are a police officer, because you're not even wearing a uniform? Number one, that gentleman refused to give me a name tag," she said.

She says one of the men claimed there was a warrant for her arrest but failed to produce it when she demanded to see it.

"He doesn't have that warrant of arrest. He just has a paper that is drafted with the conversations," she said.

Makhadzi says she insisted that they go to the nearest police station.

It was only there, she alleges, that the man produced a court order.

"When we got to the nearest police station, the first thing that gentleman did, he showed the police a court order that he refused to show me at the event."

She claims the document prohibited her from leaving Botswana and provided for the seizure of her passport or her imprisonment.

"He explained that the court order says I must not leave the country. He must take the passport, or I go to prison."

According to Makhadzi, police also indicated that the dispute was civil in nature.

She eventually handed over her passport to the man, who identified himself as a sheriff, after consulting with her team.

She says she has been informed that she must appear in court on 9 November.

The dispute appears to stem from disagreements over a proposed 2026 One Woman Show in Botswana.

Makhadzi says Seagile sent her an agreement, but she and her team refused to sign it because they wanted an earlier dispute resolved first.

"He sent an agreement. We read it. We never signed that. We said let's solve what happened before. He was not willing to solve that thing. It never happened, meaning the show won't happen," she said.

Joburg ETC reported that Seagile claims the singer owes him approximately R60,000 arising from previous business dealings.

Africa Daily could not independently verify the alleged debt or establish the full terms of the dispute.

Makhadzi also fears that the situation could leave her stranded until she overstays her permitted period in Botswana.

"They want me to stay here so I can overstay, so they can come and arrest me or ban me. That's what I feel like," she said.

The dispute comes despite an established business relationship between the singer and the Botswana promoter.

In June, Botswana newspaper Mmegi reported that Seagile was organising a Makhadzi One Woman Show scheduled for 12 September 2026 at Royal Aria Stadium in Tlokweng. He told the publication preparations were underway.

His company, Gilbert Promotions, was appointed in 2023 to advise on Makhadzi's business dealings in Botswana.

The singer previously staged her first One Woman Show in Tlokweng in 2022. In her broadcast, she said that event also resulted in financial disagreements which she had never taken to court.

The latest allegations raise questions about the circumstances surrounding the seizure of her travel document, the court order reportedly preventing her departure and the P100,000 demand.

DIRCO spokesperson Clayson Monyela said that the department was aware of the situation and would provide an update.

Makhadzi is scheduled to perform at Emperors Palace on Saturday, 7 November, before her own One Woman Show at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on 24 December.

Whether she will be able to leave Botswana in time for her upcoming commitments remains unclear.