South African singer-songwriter Nomsa Mazwai has escalated a long-running royalty dispute with Grammy Award-winning DJ Black Coffee by opening a criminal case over money she claims is owed from their 2012 collaboration, Traveller.
Mazwai, who performs under the name Nomisupasta, estimates she is owed about R2 million from the track, which also featured Black Motion. Black Coffee’s legal representatives strongly dispute the allegation, describing the claim as baseless and maintaining that any recording revenue was handled through Soulistic Music rather than Black Coffee personally.
Mazwai Takes 15-Year Royalty Battle to Police
Mazwai opened the case at Sandton police station on August 17 after years of attempting to resolve the dispute.
South African police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko confirmed that the docket was initially withdrawn after authorities considered the dispute a civil matter.
However, the position changed following consultation with a prosecutor.
Police subsequently reopened the case and were instructed to obtain a warning statement from the person identified as the suspect. The investigation remains active, and the docket is expected to be submitted to a senior public prosecutor once investigators have completed their work.
The reopening of the case does not establish criminal wrongdoing or guilt.
Singer Says Traveller Royalties Could Be Worth R2 Million
At the centre of the dispute is Traveller, the 2012 collaboration involving Mazwai, Black Coffee — whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo — and Black Motion.
Mazwai is listed on YouTube Music as a performer, writer and producer of the song.
She said her R2 million figure was an estimate calculated using publicly available information about the median earnings of Black Coffee songs from a similar period that achieved comparable performance.
Mazwai acknowledged that documentation would ultimately be needed to establish the precise financial position.
Mazwai Says Black Coffee Approached Her for Collaboration
Mazwai said she was young when Black Coffee approached her about participating in the song.
According to her account, Black Coffee was in New York at the time and asked her to arrange a studio for the recording.
She maintains that a deed of assignment dealing with publishing establishes her ownership of the lyrics.
The singer also argues that she never signed away her master rights and did not agree to receive a session fee instead of an ongoing financial interest in the recording.
For Mazwai, those details are central to her contention that additional royalties remain outstanding.
‘I’ve Been Asking for My Money for 15 Years’
The financial dispute has become intensely personal for Mazwai, who says she is currently fighting to retain her home.
She said losing the property could disrupt her children’s schooling because they attend schools in the surrounding area.
“I’ve been asking Black Coffee for my money for 15 years. Must I lose my home over this?” Mazwai said.
Mazwai previously served as general manager of the Soweto Theatre for five years before leaving the position in 2021. She said she has since struggled to secure another public-sector job.
Mazwai Disputes Advice to Pursue SAMPRA Payments
Mazwai said previous exchanges with Black Coffee’s lawyers repeatedly directed her towards the South African Music Performance Rights Association, or SAMPRA.
She argues, however, that the payments she is pursuing are different from the performance-rights payments handled through that system.
Mazwai said she felt bullied during the back-and-forth over the dispute and maintains that she is seeking a featured-artist royalty she believes is contractually due to her.
Her position is that there is no document showing that she surrendered her master rights.
Statements Show R7,000 in Featured Artist Royalty Distributions
Documents reviewed by the Sunday Times add another financial figure to the dispute.
Account statements reportedly show featured-artist royalty distributions totalling R7,000 for Mazwai and Black Motion between January 2013 and December 2024.
Mazwai disputes that the amount represents everything she should have received from the recording.
The exact commercial history of Traveller, the revenue it generated and how those revenues were distributed are therefore likely to be important issues if the dispute proceeds further.
Black Coffee’s Lawyers Reject Fraud Allegation
Black Coffee’s legal team has strongly rejected Mazwai’s accusations.
In previous correspondence sent to Mazwai’s attorney and reviewed by the Sunday Times, lawyer David Feinberg of Rosengarten & Feinberg argued that any fraud allegation against Maphumulo personally was unfounded.
His legal representatives maintain that Black Coffee did not personally sell or commercially exploit the recording.
Instead, they say any recording revenue that was received and accounted for went through Soulistic Music, the independent record label Maphumulo founded in 2005.
Legal Team Calls R2 Million Estimate Baseless
Black Coffee’s lawyers have also challenged how Mazwai calculated the R2 million she says she is owed.
The correspondence described the figure as unsupported and insufficiently particularised.
According to Black Coffee’s legal team, an estimate derived from information available online does not by itself establish a valid financial claim or provide evidence supporting a criminal complaint.
The lawyers have further characterised accusations directed personally at Maphumulo as defamatory, malicious and opportunistic.
Dispute Centres on Who Was Responsible for Recording Revenue
The competing positions reveal a fundamental disagreement about responsibility for the song’s earnings.
Mazwai maintains that she contributed as a writer, performer and producer, retained relevant rights and has not received all the money due to her.
Black Coffee’s lawyers contend that she is pursuing the wrong individual because recording revenue was handled through Soulistic Music.
That distinction could become important as investigators and prosecutors determine whether the dispute contains any criminal element or belongs exclusively within civil proceedings.
Police Await Warning Statement as Investigation Continues
Police have not announced any criminal charge against Black Coffee in connection with Mazwai’s complaint.
According to Sibeko, investigators are awaiting a warning statement before completing their work and forwarding the docket to the senior public prosecutor for a decision.
Black Coffee had undertaken to respond to questions from the Sunday Times but had not provided additional comment by the publication‘s deadline.
For now, the dispute remains a contested royalty claim: Mazwai alleges she has spent nearly 15 years pursuing money she believes belongs to her, while Black Coffee’s legal representatives reject both the R2 million calculation and allegations of personal wrongdoing.
The prosecutor’s eventual decision will determine whether the reopened criminal investigation proceeds further or whether the dispute remains a matter to be resolved through other legal channels.
