WATCH | DJ Sbu finally addresses Zahara’s 'they owe me money' claims

However, tweeps feel like he's leaving a lot of information out, 'what about the gig money?'

02 September 2021 - 15:30

By Deepika Naidoo

DJ Sbu has responded to claims that songstress Zahara continues to make that she is owed money by his defunct record label TS Records - and has made counterclaims that the singer owes him money.

In an interview with Massiv Metro, DJ Sbu said that the dispute with Zahara over the royalties for her album Loliwe wasn't the story Zahara had painted it to be.

The DJ said he still had love for Bulelwa, better known as Zahara, but said that Zahara's claims of no payment are a lie.

“We made history together - and I miss you Bulelwa, I miss you - but what I don't like is she goes out and says I owe her money, because you know that's a lie ... If you go down to the books at Universal Music, she actually owes us money and she doesn't know that,” DJ Sbu claimed.

“Zahara is getting 50% royalty rate and the record label is getting paid 50%, and it usually doesn't work like that,” said Sbu.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, DJ Sbu's team said they are proud of the work they have done with Zahara but would rather keep the issue private “as a family”.

“We are proud of all our successes together. Our relationship remains private and agreements were entered into confidentially between all of us. We would like to not comment further about the nature of our agreements in public. It's a private matter and we are family. We will resolve our matters privately as family,” they said.

On Wednesday night, in her Channel-O interview with MacG on Podcast and Chill, Zahara stood firm that she is owed money. “They still owe me. It's for real bruh, I went to the news.

“I don't want to relive the past, mina. As much as, yes, they owe me so much, the problem is if I do not have money, then I have to go to court all the time and I have to hire a lawyer. Then I have to pay the lawyer with the money I don't have,” said Zahara.

Several attempts were made to contact Zahara but were unsuccessful at the time of publishing.

In 2019, Zahara claimed that she was not receiving royalties from TS Records for her album Loliwe.

Zahara chatted to TshisaLIVE earlier this year, adamant that the only thing that can settle their long-standing spat is a TV interview and would like DJ Sbu to answer her call.

“DJ Sbu must stop lying. He must be in a studio with me one day somewhere ... a TV interview where I say what I say and he says what he says ... he must stop lying because he is a coward.

“It doesn’t really matter, me I can always go back to sing for my cows but the truth is the truth ... it wouldn’t have escalated like this, they should have just let it go because I’m speaking my truth and it’s the truth ... I don't want to hear nobody said nothing, I want DJ Sbu in a TV room with just me and him ... where we both say what we want to say,” the musician said.