By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The controversial music executive and social media commentator Nota Baloyi has publicly retracted and unreservedly apologized for the allegations he made against internationally acclaimed Nkosinathi “DJ Black Coffee” Maphumulo, admitting that the claims were false and defamatory.
Baloyi issued the statement on his X account on Monday, 10 August 2026.
The apology follows a prolonged legal battle. In December 2025, the High Court ruled Baloyi’s statements unlawful and defamatory, interdicted further similar comments, and ordered him to delete the posts and publish a specific public apology.
He published posts accusing or insinuating that Black Coffee was guilty of bribery, corruption, assault, and general criminal activity.
Baloyi accused Black Coffee of using his wealth, influence, and celebrity status to bully and intimidate ordinary South Africans who criticise him.
He insisted that his posts were either factual or constituted fair comment. And they were protected under the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
In his statement, Baloyi stated there was “no valid basis” for the claims, declared them “false and defamatory,” retracted the posts, and offered an “unreserved” apology for the harm caused.
He faced contempt of court proceedings in which Black Coffee sought a 60-day jail term for non-compliance, the High Court ordered Baloyi to submit his formal heads of argument within 10 days, pushing the legal dispute closer to a decisive ruling on potential imprisonment.