Sfiso Ndlovu addresses to ‘Hamba Juba’ payment dispute

Music manager and label owner Sfiso Ndlovu has responded to claims that some of the artists behind the hit song Hamba Juba were not compensated for their work.

The track, released in 2023, is a collaboration between Lady Amar, Murumba Pitch, Cici and JL SA.

The song became a huge success, amassing millions of streams on Spotify and other music streaming platforms.

In a video posted on TikTok, producer JL claimed he was never paid for his work on the track.

“I produced the song from scratch; this is my work, my own production, but I never got a cent for it. If you check now on Spotify, the song is sitting on 23 million streams on Spotify alone, and the music video on YouTube is at around 34 million. I love making music, but the sad part is that I don’t get paid for it,” he said.

Lady Amar also shared a TikTok video, alleging she, too, has not been paid.

“I don’t know the Hamba Juba money — not even a cent. I have never received anything, just like JL. It’s just that he is someone who can speak for himself. Me, on the other hand, I don’t like talking. This is probably the first and last video of me speaking about this. But I have never received the money. It’s been two years and nothing,” she said.

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Sfiso Ndlovu on payment dispute claims

Ndlovu addressed the allegations on the Piano Pulse show on YouTube, saying JL SA did not receive his share due to a contract breach.

“The reason why I did not pay JL at the time was because bengifuna ukumnyisa (I wanted to teach him a lesson) — because he breached my contract, and I know the law,” he said.

Ndlovu also claimed that singer Cici has taken him to court over additional royalties. He said the song’s royalties are currently being withheld.

“The money was blocked before I could pay Sony. So JL must just go and say Sfiso wrote this song, one man. We need him to be a witness to release his money.

“If he does that and sends that email, Samro will release the money. Then immediately I’ll take that money and send it to Sony, then Sony will pay him,” Ndlovu added.