By Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
- Comedian Livhuwani Madadzhe is accused of killing his wife and faking his mother’s death to claim insurance money.
- His latest arrest came just before his long-awaited murder trial was about to begin.
Limpopo comedian Livhuwani Madadzhe, better known by his stage name SABCLivhu, is once again behind bars—this time for allegedly faking his mother’s death to cash in on insurance money.
Madadzhe is already on trial for the murder of his wife, Lindelani Nengovhela, and was arrested on Monday at the Thohoyandou High Court, just before his trial was expected to begin.
Instead of taking the stand, he was led away by police on a new fraud charge.
The claim goes back to 2017, when Madadzhe allegedly used a fake death certificate to claim payouts from several insurance companies.
He even went as far as having a tombstone at a local graveyard to make it appear as if his mother had died.
But the lie came to light when his mother visited the Department of Home Affairs, only to discover she had been declared dead.
She had gone to apply for an old age grant at the Sassa offices when the truth was uncovered.
Madadzhe was arrested at the time and released on R5,000 bail. The case never made it to court for reasons that are still unclear.
But now, years later, the case has been re-opened and added to his current murder charge.
His murder trial stems from the 2022 death of his wife Lindelani, whose body was found inside a pit toilet at their home in Mangondi village, outside Thohoyandou.
A post-mortem later revealed that she had died from suffocation.
Madadzhe was arrested and spent several months in custody before being released on R50,000 bail.
His case has faced multiple delays and was finally due to start this week—until the fraud charge interrupted proceedings again.
Lindelani’s family says the new arrest has given them a renewed sense of hope. Her sister, Sylvia Nengovhela, told Scrolla.Africa she was relieved to see Madadzhe back in police custody.
“Our prayers have been answered as he is back where he belongs and I just hope that this time he stays there forever. If he is being held in police custody, I will not even care if the murder case drags for years before judgement is handed down. What he did to us is cruel and he does not deserve to live in our society,” she said.
Nengovhela added: “My sister’s children are left without a mother because of someone who is cruel.”
Before Lindelani’s death, she had opened several gender-based violence (GBV) cases against Madadzhe, but often withdrew them, saying she had reconciled with him.
Merrium Netshikweta, who was at court when Madadzhe appeared, said she hopes he is held accountable.
“Before cases of abuses against his wife surfaced, Madadzhe was a well-respected individual in Vhembe and his supporters and followers on social media loved him dearly, some even donated thousands of rand for him to build a house at his home but he has ruined everything by committing cruel crimes,” said Netshikweta.
Madadzhe has over 100,000 followers on social media.
“If he is found guilty, the court must use him as an example to show that it is wrong to kill and abuse women in South Africa,” she said.
Madadzhe is expected to appear in court again soon to face both charges.
Pictured above: Livhuwani Madadzhe, known as SABCLivhu, faces fresh charges while still on trial for the murder of his wife.
Image source: Facebook
