Arts activist Bandile Magibili has denied receiving a summons from former TS Records boss Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza over his comments about the alleged exploitation of late singing star Zahara.
Nciza has reportedly asked the high court in kuGompo City for a judgment compelling Magibili to pay him R5m for defamation.
However Magibili, who lives in Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape, said he did not live in kuGompo City, where the summons was supposedly served on him on February 4.
According to the Sunday Times, the conflict between Magibili and Nciza stems from statements Magibili made during an interview on Podcast and Chill with MacG, hosted by MacGyver Mukwevho, in September 2025.
Magibili is said to have claimed that Nciza was responsible for the 2023 death of Zahara, whose real name was Bulelwa Mkutukana.
Magibili said he had received a “letter of demand” via WhatsApp on Sunday, September 28 2025, from an unknown number, purporting to be from “Morolong Inc”, but no official summons.
“So, to whom was that summons allegedly served on February 4 2026, and at which address in kuGompo City, when I have not lived there for years? Why send a WhatsApp in September 2025 if they knew my address to serve a summons in February 2026,” Magibili asked.
“In terms of jurisdiction, the matter is said to be happening in East London [kuGompo City], and yet I am based in Sterkspruit,” he said, adding that comments in his interview on Podcast and Chill had been taken out of context.
“If a person watches the episode, they’ll realise that I used figurative language to demonstrate the experiences that Zahara was subjected to with TS Records. And for that matter, the interview was not about Zahara or TS Records.
“TS Records created a false PR narrative about Zahara’s background. There was a lie that she was ‘busking on the streets before the fame’. That is a lie. ‘Killing’ means many things. It is not always literal. The expression I used was metaphoric, not literal.
“It was a commentary on how she was treated under TS Records’ management. It was creative commentary in the public interest about the realities of the music industry.”
He said that in the interview he had stated that Zahara “died” on the first day she arrived at TS Records, but that this was meant metaphorically, not literally.
“Furthermore, TS Records profiled Zahara’s success through a venue — Talamanca — a venue that no longer exists.”
He said there was no causation, linking his metaphor to any quantifiable harm. “There is no proof of harm, no evidence that my statement caused ‘TK’ Nciza reputational or financial damage. In fact, Zahara herself spoke extensively about how they treated her. So, my commentary was aligned with facts already in the public domain.”
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