Revered songbird Ami Faku has revealed that her disputed ex-manager Raphael Benza has threatened to interdict her from, among other things, waxing songs with other artists unless she does so through him and his stable. She has done at least two ditties with Caiiro and DJ Mshega.
The award-winning songstress said this in an affidavit she filed in the Johannesburg High Court in which she seeks an order declaring that the artist agreement, management agreement and publishing agreement she signed with Benza, manager and business partner of slain rap artists AKA, and his label Vth Season have terminated by effluxion of time and have no legal efficacy.
Faku said her attorney received a letter from the stable’s lawyers stating it will be unlawful for the crooner to represent to a third party that the agreements do not stand. They also stated that they would provide the agreements to collecting societies such as Samro and Capasso that pay royalties to artists and or record labels.
“Notwithstanding the fact that I am represented by an attorney, the first respondent’s attorneys in a letter dated 10 April 2025 asserted inter alia that I had been engaged in the recording with one Ndina in the recording of a musical work known as Ndina Reya performed by myself and Mr DJ Mshega.
“Mr Mshega is the owner of the musical work… The recording of the musical work aforesaid took place in 2025 after the artist agreements, the management agreement and the publishing agreement had terminated,” she stated.
“I also want to draw further to the attention of this honourable court that at present there is a musical work that is doing extremely well on the streaming platform by a musical artist known as Ndisize produced by Caiiro. That recording was produced in March 2024 and released in June of that year.
“I did not produce such a recording, but instead I am an artist in one of the songs.
“The first respondent contends he owns the music and is entitled to be paid royalties from Ownit Music, which is paying the first respondent a royalty to which I am entitled to a portion, which the first respondent refuses to pay to me,” she said.
