South African international music sensation Black Coffee is not backing down in his ongoing legal clash with luxury carmaker Maserati SA.
Things have officially taken a dramatic turn for Casa Vehicle Holdings, trading as Maserati SA, as a sheriff of the court has now been authorized to attach and sell the brand’s movable property at a public auction to recover more than R7.7 million owed to the DJ’s company, Soulistic Music.
The high-stakes dispute traces back to November 2024, when the Grammy Award-winning producer, born Nkosinathi Innocent Maphumulo, entered into a massive R16 million deal to purchase two luxury vehicles.
While the first ride arrived as expected, the second custom-built vehicle, complete with bespoke exterior modifications, custom interior finishes, tailored seat belts, and specialized brake calipers, became the core of a bitter fallout after it was allegedly never delivered within the agreed timeframe.
According to court filings, Maserati SA had promised to deliver the second ride by June 2025. Before taking legal action, Maphumulo tried to resolve the matter amicably.
Correspondence between the parties revealed that a Maserati employee even assured the star that a production slot was secured because the factory had made a “special exception” for him as a globally recognized figure.
When the vehicle failed to materialize, Maphumulo demanded the return of his R7 million trade-in amount.
With Maserati failing to present a substantive defence, the Johannesburg High Court granted summary judgment against the luxury carmaker on August 3, ordering them to repay the amount alongside legal costs.
A writ of execution issued on August 17 has now escalated the legal victory into direct enforcement. The full R7.725 million debt includes the initial R7 million judgment plus R735,000 in interest accrued at 10.5% annually.
While the writ grants the sheriff permission to seize and auction off Maserati SA’s movable assets to cover the debt, no specific vehicles or property have been physically taken yet.
Black Coffee’s multi-million rand garage features a lineup of high-performance modern supercars, ultra-luxury cruisers, and iconic heritage vehicles, including a Lamborghini Urus, Ferrari 458 Speciale, McLaren GT, Bentley Flying Spur, Mercedes-AMG SLS, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, custom Rolls-Royce models, a classic 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL, and a Maserati MC20.
IOL
