Landlord tells court why he will not refund Kabza De Small rental deposit

The former landlord of award-winning amapiano superstar Kabza De Small has come out guns blazing against the musician’s attempt to reclaim his R100 000 rental deposit.

Zolile Dlamini has maintained that Kabza De Small should not demand the refund of his deposit, arguing that he unlawfully terminated his lease agreement and left behind hundreds of thousands of rands in unpaid rent.

Dlamini claims that Kabza De Small’s deposit was used to offset part of the musician’s outstanding rental arrears after he vacated the luxury property before the expiry of his lease agreement.

Dlamini said this in an affidavit supporting an application for summary judgment filed in the Joburg High Court against the music megastar, whose real name is Kabelo Motha.

In the affidavit, which Africa Daily has seen, Dlamini also disputes allegations that he demanded rental payments from the musician before they were due, describing the musician’s version of events as misleading.

Africa Daily has previously reported that Kabza De Small has filed papers in the High Court in which he is demanding the refund of his deposit and also opposing Dlamini’s demand for him to pay rent for the remaining months of their lease agreement.

The dispute between the two relates to a residential lease agreement they signed in January and February 2025 for Unit 1802 at The Leonardo, situated at 75 Maude Street in Sandown, Sandton.

However, in the affidavit, which Africa Daily has seen, Dlamini said the 12-month lease commenced on February 2, 2025, and was due to terminate on January 31, 2026.

He said the agreement required the producer extraordinaire to pay monthly rental of R95 000 in advance into his Investec Bank account by the first day of every month.

Dlamini said South Africa’s most sought-after DJ paid a R100 000 deposit, comprising R95 000 for rental and R5 000 for utilities.

He said Kabza De Small breached the agreement by failing to pay rent for six consecutive months, from August 2025 to January 2026.

He claims that although Kabza De Small made a partial payment of R30 000 in September 2025, he failed to settle the remaining R65 000 for that month.

According to Dlamini, this left Kabza De Small owing R540 000 in outstanding rental payments.

Dlamini says he subsequently applied the R100 000 deposit towards the arrears when the lease ended on January 31, 2026, reducing the outstanding amount to R440 000.

He argues that the Scorpion Kings member cannot demand the return of the deposit because the lease agreement expressly allowed him to retain it until all outstanding amounts had been determined.

Dlamini further disputes Kabza De Small’s claim that he had lawfully terminated the agreement in June 2025 and vacated the property at the end of July that year.

He argues that the lease required a tenant wishing to terminate the agreement early to provide at least two months’ written notice and pay a cancellation penalty equivalent to between one and two months’ rental.

According to Dlamini, the amapiano sensation failed to comply with these requirements and did not obtain a written agreement signed by both parties to cancel the lease.

He maintains that simply vacating the property did not release the musician from his contractual obligation to pay rent until January 31, 2026.

The landlord also disputes the musician’s allegations that he failed to provide peaceful possession of the property by allegedly demanding rental payments before they became due.

Dlamini argues that requesting payment in accordance with the lease agreement did not amount to interference with the musician’s occupation of the property.

He further takes issue with two purported proofs of payment allegedly sent to him by Kabza De Small, reflecting transactions of R110 000 and R50 000, which were submitted after their rental dispute.

Dlamini says neither amount was received into his nominated Investec Bank account.

He also points out that Kabza De Small has denied sending the proofs of payment and disputes the bank account details reflected in the documents.

Dlamini argues that the musician’s defences do not raise genuine disputes requiring a trial and that he has entered an appearance to defend the matter solely to delay proceedings.

He is asking the court to grant summary judgment against the artist for R440 000, together with interest at 12.25% per annum and legal costs on an attorney-and-client scale.