Euphonik seeks sequestration of Ntsiki Mazwai over R280K debt
DJ Euphonik, real name Themba Nkosi, has taken legal steps to have poet and activist Ntsiki Mazwai declared insolvent after repeated attempts to recover over R280,000 from her in court-awarded legal fees.
The move follows a series of cost orders granted in his favour, which Mazwai has been unable to settle.
In court documents seen by Sunday World, Euphonik claims Mazwai has committed an act of insolvency by failing to pay the amounts due and by acknowledging, in writing, her inability to do so.
The popular DJ argues that the sequestration of her estate would serve the best interests of her creditors.
The legal battle stems from a series of defamatory social media posts by Mazwai, in which she allegedly referred to Euphonik as a rapist.
In response, he secured an interdict from the Johannesburg High Court in April 2021, which barred Mazwai from making such statements.
The court also ordered her to pay R74,000 in legal fees on an attorney-and-client scale.
The matter later returned to court, and in January 2022, a final order was granted against Mazwai. This time, the court ordered her to pay a further R104,316.
When Mazwai later attempted to appeal the judgment, her application for leave to appeal was dismissed with costs, adding another R114,000 to her growing legal bill.
Despite multiple letters of demand from Euphonik’s legal team, Mazwai reportedly made only a partial payment of R6,000.
According to Nkosi, the sheriff of Johannesburg North was dispatched to her residence several times to serve writs of attachment.
On one visit in March 2023, the sheriff assessed her movable assets at a mere R1,500, far below the amount owed.
The DJ further noted that Mazwai admitted in correspondence that she was financially strained.
“On 15 March 2023, she sent an email to my lawyers confirming that she was in the red,” he said in the application.
Additionally, the sheriff obtained an affidavit from Mazwai stating she was affiliated with a Chapter 11 institution, a potential reference to debt restructuring or financial rehabilitation.
Euphonik’s legal team argues that these circumstances justify the sequestration of her estate.
“It is in the best interests of the respondent’s creditors, and will be to their advantage, that the respondent’s estate is sequestrated,” his affidavit reads.
Mazwai has reportedly continued to challenge the final interdict.
In May 2023, her legal representative, Risiva Khosa, notified Euphonik’s attorneys that she intended to pursue an appeal.
However, no significant payment or financial settlement has been made since.
