South Africa: Black Coffee Sues Maserati South Africa Over R9 Million Car Deal

16 March 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Rorisang Modiba
  • The Grammy-winning DJ says Maserati South Africa failed to deliver his customised R9-million MC20 Cielo by the July 2025 deadline.
  • Maserati South Africa says no July 2025 deadline was ever agreed, blaming delays on Black Coffee's additional feature requests needing approval.

Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee is suing Maserati South Africa in the Gauteng High Court over a customised luxury car worth R9-million.

Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, filed the case through his company Soulistic Music. He is asking the court to cancel the deal and refund his R7-million trade-in payment.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Maphumulo ordered a Maserati MC20 Cielo from the dealership. He had bought an MC20 Coupe from the same dealer in 2022 for R7-million and decided to upgrade to the Cielo, which costs about R9-million.

The dealership offered him R7-million as a trade-in for his old car. He says they agreed, partly in writing and partly verbally, that he would pay the remaining R2-million on delivery.

He also ordered custom features, including a Sonus faber sound system with 12 speakers, a Maserati Blu Infinito colour, glossy black diamond-cut wheels, and a leather and Alcantara interior.

He says the dealership told him on 3 June that the car would only enter production in August, with no confirmed delivery date. He says the agreed deadline was July 2025, and that this was a breach of their deal.

The following day, the dealership emailed him to say it had secured a special production slot because he is a globally recognised figure.

Maserati South Africa denied wrongdoing. The company says no July 2025 deadline was ever agreed and that fully customised vehicles take at least nine months to produce after specifications are confirmed.

Maserati also says Maphumulo chose additional colours and features not in the original quote, which needed head office approval before production could start. The company says it is not in breach and that the R7-million trade-in would not apply if the purchase falls through.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2026 Scrolla. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.