A court has ruled that an antenuptial contract signed between Black Coffee and Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa is not valid, forcing the DJ to pay spousal support to his ex-partner, who is identified as his customary wife.
But does this mean that the actress, who is also the mother of two of his children, gets half of his R1 billion fortune?
The former couple married in a traditional ceremony in 2011. In 2017, they held a white wedding, at which Enhle reportedly signed a prenup. They officially parted ways in 2019.
WILL BLACK COFFEE PAY ENHLE MBALI HALF HIS FORTUNE?
According to Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa’s attorney, Jerry Nkeli, DJ Black Coffee lost his bid to declare an antenuptial contract (ANC) signed six years after their traditional wedding valid.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Nkeli revealed: “The court ruled in favor of Enhle Mbali, granting her the reliefs sought. The customary marriage was declared valid and in community of property, the ANC was invalidated, and Nkosinathi Maphumulo a.k.a ‘Black Coffee’ was ordered to pay spousal maintenance.”
According to Nkeli, the court rejected an ANC signed in 2017 ahead of the couple’s white wedding, citing that Enhle was “misled and lacked legal advice” and that the “contract could not override the default property regime of their customary marriage.”
He added: “This landmark ruling highlights the importance of protecting women’s rights in customary marriages”.
According to South African law, a customary marriage, via a traditional ceremony, is automatically in community of property, which is classified as a joint estate.
In the absence of a divorce judgment, it is unclear if the spousal support ruled in favour of Enhle Mbali was mutually agreed upon or acted upon by the court. It is also unclear if spousal support will accompany a division of assets in the divorce settlement, as practiced in community of property, or if there was a forfeiture of benefits, where one party would not be granted their half-share of assets for various reasons.
According to various online reports, DJ Black Coffee has a net worth of $60 million, or R1 billion.
PREVIOUS RULING ON SPOUSAL SUPPORT, MAINTENANCE
In a 2020 Johannesburg High Court ruling, Black Coffee was ordered to pay Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa R50 000 in maintenance for his two sons, Anesu and Asante.
Additionally, he was also ordered to pay his estranged wife R15 000 a month in spousal support.
According to Sunday World, Enhle lost her bid for Black Coffee to pay her more than R131 000 in monthly maintenance, made up of R80 000 maintenance for their two children, R30 000 for groceries and household items, and R17 800 for her beauty cosmetics.
Images via Instagram:
@realblackcoffee @enhlembali_
She also demanded that he pay her medical bills, stemming from a mental health diagnosis due to the stress relating to their highly publicised divorce.
Enhle argued that she had become accustomed to a lavish lifestyle, which her ex-partner could fund with his R100 million per annum salary.
Her application was dismissed with costs.
