South African well-known artist King Kabza de Small has been dragged to court for allegedly failing to pay rent for his luxury apartment in Sandton.
Kabza, born Kabelo Motha, is Mzansi’s most sought-after musician. But he is shockingly failing to pay rent for his apartment in The Leonardo in Sandton.
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News that Kabza is struggling to pay for the flat in the residential complex, where his fellow artist DJ Maphorisa also stays, came out after his landlord, Zolile Dlamini, dragged him to the Joburg High Court on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, to get his money back.
According to court papers, Kabza, of Scorpion Kings fame, entered into a lease agreement to rent the apartment from Zolile for a whopping R95 000 per month.
Zolile, a chartered accountant, rented out the expensive apartment to the award-winning recording superstar from 2 February 2025 to 31 January this year.
The producer extraordinaire, who according to the lease agreement stays with an associate named Nyakallo Mathoka in the property, paid a deposit of R100 000 before moving in.
The rent was set to increase by 10 percent annually.
Zolile alleges that the musician failed to pay his rent. He stated that Kabza paid only R65 000 for September 2025, leaving a shortfall of R30 000, and failed to pay rent for October 2025.
The unpaid amounts, together with interest and penalties, have accumulated to R345 000.
Zolile said he wrote several letters of demand to Kabza to pay what he owes, but the artist, who is known for his contagious beats called Rekere, ignored the letters.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Zolile’s lawyer, Barry Aaron of Barry Aaron and Associates, confirmed that they have issued summons against Kabza.
“The matter remains unresolved and I have issued summons against him in the high court. But this is not a matter I wish to discuss with the media about,” he said.
Kabza’s legal representative, Tailormade Legal, said they denied the allegations that he failed to pay rent.
“While Mr. Motha is yet to receive the alleged summons, he rejects any assertion of wrongdoing on his part.”
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“He maintains that he has always kept up to date with his rental payments through the agent from whom the landlord always received and accepted payment.”
“Mr. Motha is committed to clearing his name using the correct legal channels and will not be making any further comments on this matter,” said the legal firm.
