Black Coffee wins R7m High Court victory against Maserati SA
Grammy-winning South African DJ and producer Black Coffee (Nkosinathi Maphumulo) has secured a decisive win against Maserati South Africa. The Johannesburg High Court ordered the luxury carmaker to repay R7 million, plus interest and legal costs, to his company Soulistic Music after a failed deal for a customised supercar.
Acting Judge Sanet van Aswegen granted summary judgment in favour of Soulistic Music. The court found Maserati breached the contract for a Maserati MC20 Cielo, valued at about R9 million. Interest was set at 10.5% a year from 22 August 2025 until full payment.
Coffee had bought an MC20 Coupe from the same dealership in 2022 for R7 million. He later traded it in at that value toward the new Cielo, agreeing to pay the remaining R2 million on delivery. The car was to feature extensive customisation, including a 12-speaker Sonus faber sound system, Maserati Blu Infinito paint, glossy black diamond-cut wheels, and a leather and Alcantara interior. He maintained the parties agreed on a July 2025 delivery deadline.
When Maserati later indicated production would only start in August 2025 with no firm delivery date, he sought cancellation and a refund of the trade-in amount. Maserati denied any fixed deadline, arguing custom builds take at least nine months and that extra specification changes required head-office approval. The court rejected those defences and cancelled the deal.
The ruling ends a months-long dispute that began when court papers were filed earlier in 2026.