The legal battle between Grammy winning DJ and producer Nkosinathi “Black Coffee” Maphumulo and controversial music executive Nhlamulo “Nota” Baloyi has moved into its next phase, with the Johannesburg High Court ordering Baloyi to file his legal arguments in an ongoing contempt of court application.

Acting Judge Sarita Liebenberg issued the interlocutory order on 16 July, giving Baloyi 10 court days to file his heads of argument in proceedings brought by Black Coffee.

The order does not determine whether Baloyi is guilty of contempt. Instead, it clears a procedural hurdle and brings Black Coffee’s application closer to a hearing on whether Baloyi should face imprisonment for allegedly failing to comply with an earlier court order.

Black Coffee is seeking an order that could see Baloyi jailed for up to 60 days.

Baloyi was also ordered to pay the costs of the interlocutory application.

Dispute Follows Defamatory Statements

The latest court proceedings stem from comments Baloyi allegedly made during a September 2025 episode of the SA Hub podcast.

During the episode, Baloyi allegedly made claims linking Black Coffee to questionable financial dealings in the aftermath of the DJ’s highly publicised divorce from actress Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa.

Black Coffee subsequently challenged the remarks in court.

In December 2025, the High Court found the statements unlawful and defamatory and ordered Baloyi to retract them and issue a public apology.

While Baloyi removed the relevant social media posts, he has not complied with the order requiring him to publish an apology.

That refusal is now at the centre of Black Coffee’s contempt application.

Baloyi Challenges Court Order

Baloyi has disputed the basis of the contempt proceedings, maintaining that his original comments were truthful or otherwise legally protected.

He has also argued that Black Coffee’s contempt application amounts to an abuse of court process.

Baloyi has further appealed aspects of the December judgment.

The competing positions have turned what began as a dispute over public comments into a broader legal battle over compliance with court orders, reputational harm and the limits of public commentary.

Black Coffee Seeks Possible Jail Term

Black Coffee launched the contempt application in January 2026.

His case is that Baloyi’s continued refusal to comply with the court ordered apology amounts to a deliberate disregard of a binding court order.

The latest ruling does not make a finding on that allegation.

Instead, Judge Liebenberg’s order requires Baloyi to put forward his legal arguments within the prescribed 10 court days. Once both sides have exchanged their heads of argument, the contempt application can proceed towards a substantive hearing.

The central question will ultimately be whether Baloyi deliberately and unlawfully failed to comply with the December order and, if so, what consequences should follow.

Entertainment Industry Dispute Heads Back to Court

The case has attracted attention beyond the two parties because it touches on issues that regularly create tension within South Africa’s entertainment industry.

Public figures, commentators and artists increasingly use social media and digital platforms to make allegations, criticism and commentary about one another. At the same time, those statements can carry significant consequences when they affect a person’s reputation.

The Black Coffee and Nota Baloyi dispute places those competing interests under the spotlight.

For now, however, the latest court order is procedural rather than a final ruling on contempt.

Baloyi has not publicly commented on the latest order.

The next significant step will come after the parties exchange their legal arguments, when the court is expected to consider Black Coffee’s application for contempt and his request for a possible prison sentence.

Until then, the legal battle remains unresolved.

Visit MDNtv YouTube Channel for our video content