By Staff Reporter
THOHOYANDOU – The High Court in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, is expected to hand down sentencing today in the fraud case involving local social media influencer Livhuwani Madadzhe, who faked his mother’s death in 2017 to claim insurance money.
Madadzhe, who has already pleaded guilty, faces two counts of fraud stemming from the 2017 incident. Reports reveal that he erected a tombstone at the Mangondi Ha-Sidou graveyard, despite the fact that no funeral had taken place and his mother was still alive.
In addition to the insurance fraud, Madadzhe allegedly attempted to defraud FNB, but the plan collapsed when his sister alerted the bank that their mother was alive. These two incidents form the basis of the current fraud charges.
Madadzhe is represented by Attorney Khuliso Negota, while his other lawyer, Advocate Ntsako Hlungwani, was present earlier this week when sentencing was postponed on Monday, 10 November.
Judge Tshidada will preside over counts 1 and 2, both linked to the fraud allegations, while a new judge will handle the remaining three counts — murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and defeating the ends of justice.
These additional charges are connected to the January 2023 death of Madadzhe’s partner, Lindelani Nengovhela, whose body was discovered in a water-filled pit toilet at his home in Mangondi Sidou village near Thohoyandou.
In May 2025, Judge Tshidada recused himself after the defence raised concerns about bias but later returned to handle only the fraud counts. Judge Matsaro Violet Semenya has since been appointed to oversee the remaining charges.
The sentencing marks another major development in a case that has captured widespread public attention, blending themes of deception, social media influence, and serious criminal allegations.
