Shebeshxt is scheduled to stand trial in Polokwane from May 17 to 21, 2027, on 21 criminal charges. The date came out of a September pre-trial conference in the Polokwane Regional Court, where prosecutors also indicated they intend to call 22 witnesses.
The case now looks very different from the one that first put Lehlogonolo Katlego Chauke in custody in November 2025. Prosecutors have since consolidated a much wider set of allegations, while the defense is still working through the material and has not yet told the court how many witnesses it expects to call. The charge sheet has grown.
The new timetable sits months beyond the December bail refusal that kept Shebeshxt in custody, but it does not change the basic posture of the case. Chauke remains an accused person, and the May dates are for the trial of allegations that still have to be proved in court.
Early attention centered heavily on the October 2025 Ladanna shooting allegations. Police initially said Chauke faced charges including attempted murder, unlawful firearm and ammunition possession, malicious property damage, and defeating the ends of justice after an alleged confrontation with another motorist. The later case is wider.
Later proceedings pulled additional matters into the regional court case. By July 2026, the court had withdrawn one illegal-firearm count while the overall total still stood at 21, showing how the composition of the charge sheet can change even when the headline number does not. The total alone hides that movement.
Culpable homicide and reckless or negligent driving also connect the current case to the 2024 crash in which Chauke's daughter died. Those counts are legally separate from the 2025 shooting allegations, which is one reason the present prosecution is broader than the case many people first followed.
The State has signaled the shape of its evidence, while the defense is still settling how it will answer the combined case. September's conference fixed important logistics without settling the substance of any charge. No evidence was tested at the conference itself.
Chauke's new legal team also asked for more preparation time. Magistrate Felleng Ntilane directed the pre-trial process to continue and linked part of the delay to repeated changes in legal representation. Another change of lawyers did not persuade her to stop the conference.
A long wait before trial has consequences beyond diary management, especially while an accused person remains in custody. Research on South African criminal trial delays has examined the fair-trial problems created by prolonged proceedings, including loss of liberty and the risk that evidence becomes harder to test as time passes.
The planned recusal application would target Ntilane's continued role in the case. The defense has signaled an intention to ask her to step aside, but the bias allegation has not been determined, and she remains the presiding magistrate unless a proper application succeeds.
The proposed bail bid is still only a plan at this stage. Chauke has already had repeated attempts at release rejected, including a High Court appeal in August, but his current lawyers have indicated they want to return with what they say are new facts rather than simply rerun the previous application.
The planned DPP representations would ask prosecutors to reconsider aspects of the case. Announcing an intention to make them does not mean charges have been withdrawn, reduced, or accepted as defective.
Ntilane remains seized with the matter pending any properly filed recusal application, while May 17, 2027 remains the scheduled opening date for the trial. A successful recusal bid would change who presides, but until a court grants one, the existing trial calendar remains in place.
The case now looks very different from the one that first put Lehlogonolo Katlego Chauke in custody in November 2025. Prosecutors have since consolidated a much wider set of allegations, while the defense is still working through the material and has not yet told the court how many witnesses it expects to call. The charge sheet has grown.
The new timetable sits months beyond the December bail refusal that kept Shebeshxt in custody, but it does not change the basic posture of the case. Chauke remains an accused person, and the May dates are for the trial of allegations that still have to be proved in court.
The 21 charges now reach beyond one shooting case
The National Prosecuting Authority, or NPA, says Chauke faces 21 charges, including four counts of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, common assault, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, reckless and negligent driving, and culpable homicide. The composition has shifted as the prosecution has developed. Older charge lists are already stale.Early attention centered heavily on the October 2025 Ladanna shooting allegations. Police initially said Chauke faced charges including attempted murder, unlawful firearm and ammunition possession, malicious property damage, and defeating the ends of justice after an alleged confrontation with another motorist. The later case is wider.
Later proceedings pulled additional matters into the regional court case. By July 2026, the court had withdrawn one illegal-firearm count while the overall total still stood at 21, showing how the composition of the charge sheet can change even when the headline number does not. The total alone hides that movement.
Culpable homicide and reckless or negligent driving also connect the current case to the 2024 crash in which Chauke's daughter died. Those counts are legally separate from the 2025 shooting allegations, which is one reason the present prosecution is broader than the case many people first followed.
The State has fixed its witness plan before the defense
Prosecutors told the court they intend to call 22 witnesses. Chauke's defense has not yet committed to its own witness count and said it first needs to get fully familiar with the case before giving the court a defense outline. Twenty-two State witnesses do not tell you how many people the defense will eventually call.The State has signaled the shape of its evidence, while the defense is still settling how it will answer the combined case. September's conference fixed important logistics without settling the substance of any charge. No evidence was tested at the conference itself.
Chauke's new legal team also asked for more preparation time. Magistrate Felleng Ntilane directed the pre-trial process to continue and linked part of the delay to repeated changes in legal representation. Another change of lawyers did not persuade her to stop the conference.
A long wait before trial has consequences beyond diary management, especially while an accused person remains in custody. Research on South African criminal trial delays has examined the fair-trial problems created by prolonged proceedings, including loss of liberty and the risk that evidence becomes harder to test as time passes.
Several defense moves are planned but not decided
The defense told the court it intends to bring another bail application based on new facts, make representations to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and seek Ntilane's recusal over alleged bias. Those are three separate legal moves. None has been granted.The planned recusal application would target Ntilane's continued role in the case. The defense has signaled an intention to ask her to step aside, but the bias allegation has not been determined, and she remains the presiding magistrate unless a proper application succeeds.
The proposed bail bid is still only a plan at this stage. Chauke has already had repeated attempts at release rejected, including a High Court appeal in August, but his current lawyers have indicated they want to return with what they say are new facts rather than simply rerun the previous application.
The planned DPP representations would ask prosecutors to reconsider aspects of the case. Announcing an intention to make them does not mean charges have been withdrawn, reduced, or accepted as defective.
Ntilane remains seized with the matter pending any properly filed recusal application, while May 17, 2027 remains the scheduled opening date for the trial. A successful recusal bid would change who presides, but until a court grants one, the existing trial calendar remains in place.
