The Johannesburg High Court has ordered Maserati South Africa to pay Black Coffee's company Soulistic Music R7 million, plus interest and legal costs, after a dispute over a customised MC20 Cielo.
Grammy Award-winning South African DJ and producer Black Coffee has secured a major court victory against Maserati South Africa in a dispute over a customised luxury supercar that was not delivered according to the timeline his company says had been agreed.
The Johannesburg High Court granted summary judgment in favour of Black Coffee's company, Soulistic Music, ordering Maserati South Africa to pay R7 million. TopAuto reported that the court also ordered Maserati to pay interest at 10.5% per year from August 22, 2025 until the amount is fully settled.
Maserati was also ordered to cover the legal costs of the proceedings.
The ruling gives Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, a significant victory in a luxury-car dispute that had already attracted public attention earlier in 2026.
Dispute Started With a R9 Million Maserati MC20 Cielo
The case centred on Black Coffee's attempt to upgrade from a Maserati MC20 Coupe to a customised MC20 Cielo valued at approximately R9 million.
According to earlier TimesLIVE reporting on the court dispute, Black Coffee bought an MC20 Coupe from the dealership in 2022 for about R7 million.
Around two years later, he entered discussions to trade that vehicle in for the more expensive MC20 Cielo.
Black Coffee's court papers said Maserati offered R7 million as the trade-in value of his existing vehicle, leaving him to pay the remaining R2 million when the new car was delivered.
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Black Coffee Wins R7 Million Court Battle Against Maserati
Aug 24, 2026
Aug 24, 2026
5 min read
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Updated:
The Johannesburg High Court has ordered Maserati South Africa to pay Black Coffee's company Soulistic Music R7 million, plus interest and legal costs, after a dispute over a customised MC20 Cielo.
Grammy Award-winning South African DJ and producer Black Coffee has secured a major court victory against Maserati South Africa in a dispute over a customised luxury supercar that was not delivered according to the timeline his company says had been agreed.
The Johannesburg High Court granted summary judgment in favour of Black Coffee's company, Soulistic Music, ordering Maserati South Africa to pay R7 million. TopAuto reported that the court also ordered Maserati to pay interest at 10.5% per year from August 22, 2025 until the amount is fully settled.
Maserati was also ordered to cover the legal costs of the proceedings.
The ruling gives Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, a significant victory in a luxury-car dispute that had already attracted public attention earlier in 2026.
Dispute Started With a R9 Million Maserati MC20 Cielo
The case centred on Black Coffee's attempt to upgrade from a Maserati MC20 Coupe to a customised MC20 Cielo valued at approximately R9 million.
According to earlier TimesLIVE reporting on the court dispute, Black Coffee bought an MC20 Coupe from the dealership in 2022 for about R7 million.
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Around two years later, he entered discussions to trade that vehicle in for the more expensive MC20 Cielo.
Black Coffee's court papers said Maserati offered R7 million as the trade-in value of his existing vehicle, leaving him to pay the remaining R2 million when the new car was delivered.
His company maintained that the parties had reached a partly written and partly oral agreement under which the customised vehicle would be delivered by July 2025.
Black Coffee Says Delivery Deadline Was Missed
The dispute escalated after the dealership informed Black Coffee in June 2025 that his customised vehicle would only enter production in August and that there was no confirmed delivery date.
Black Coffee regarded this as a breach of the agreement and sought to cancel the transaction and recover the R7 million trade-in amount.
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The musician maintained that the dealership failed or refused to repay the money, leading Soulistic Music to pursue the matter in the Johannesburg High Court.
Maserati Disputed Black Coffee's Version
Maserati South Africa contested the claim.
The company denied that July 2025 had been mutually agreed as the delivery deadline and argued that producing a heavily customised MC20 Cielo could take at least nine months after final specifications were confirmed.
According to TopAuto's account of Maserati's defence, the manufacturer also argued that Black Coffee had selected additional custom colours and finishes that still required confirmation and approval from Maserati's head office before a delivery estimate could be established.
The vehicle was far from a standard showroom model.
Black Coffee reportedly requested 18 specifications, including Maserati's Blu Infinito exterior colour, glossy black diamond-cut wheels, a premium 12-speaker Sonus faber sound system and a leather-and-Alcantara interior with customised stitching.
Maserati also disputed whether the R7 million trade-in value remained payable if the purchase of the replacement vehicle did not proceed.
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High Court Orders R7 Million Payment
The Johannesburg High Court ultimately granted summary judgment in favour of Soulistic Music.
Acting Judge Sanet van Aswegen ordered Maserati South Africa to pay the company R7 million, together with 10.5% annual interest calculated from August 22, 2025 until payment is made in full, as well as the legal costs of the case.
The Sowetan reported that the court order itself did not provide detailed reasons for the decision.
The judgment nevertheless gives Black Coffee the outcome he had sought in the dispute: recovery of the R7 million connected to the failed supercar transaction.
For the internationally acclaimed South African DJ, the ruling closes an important chapter in a months-long legal fight over what was supposed to be a highly customised R9 million Maserati MC20 Cielo.
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