Shimza announces Kunye Johannesburg for March 2027 amid boardroom battle

Days after headlining Kunye Jozi XI, DJ Shimza has announced Kunye Johannesburg for 6 March 2027, while a dispute over his removal as a Kunye Records director plays out in court. DJ Shimza appears to be looking ahead. On Monday, the DJ and producer took to X to announce that Kunye will return to Johannesburg on Saturday, 6 March 2027, and pointed fans to Howler for tickets. “Kunye JHB 6 March 2027,” he wrote, followed by a string of rocket emojis and a rallying “Let’s goooo!!!!”. The announcement comes just days after Shimza headlined Kunye Jozi XI at Huddle Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, 7 November, and amid reports of a corporate dispute involving Kunye Records. The dispute behind the headlines According to Buzz Life, fellow shareholder Hannes Hoffmeister removed Shimza (Ashley Kholofelo Raphala) and co-director Jarrad Evan Treger as directors of Kunye Records. Africa Daily reported that Hoffmeister filed an application accusing the pair of financial misconduct, unauthorised payments, and conflicts of interest. Per the reports, the Companies Tribunal ruled on 20 August 2026 that the two be removed with immediate effect. Shimza and Treger have since approached the Western Cape High Court to challenge the decision. They argue that they were not given a proper opportunity to respond to the allegations. Court papers cited in the reports allege that Shimza did not disclose his interest in Just Exists (Pty) Ltd, which received R752 000 from Kunye Records between 2022 and 2024. The filing also questioned other transactions involving his company, Shimuzic. Among the specific allegations: Hoffmeister claims Strongbow paid Kunye R540 000 on 2 April 2024. He further alleges the money was transferred to Just Exists the following day under the reference “Just Exist Refund”. However, no refund was due, and it was without board approval. Another R185 000 payment to Shimuzic on 1 August 2023 is alleged to have lacked board approval. It was also unrelated to supporting the company’s events. More payments to Shimza’s personal tour manager and his personal photographer were made without board approval. The filing also accused the DJ of establishing two brands: U’R and Shimza & Friends. They allegedly competed directly with Kunye by targeting the same audience and hosting events in other South African cities. None of these allegations has been tested in court, and the High Court challenge is pending. Kunye the record label, and Kunye the party The report further distinguishes between the two. Kunye Records is the company at the centre of the dispute, while Kunye Jozi XI forms part of the events series organised under the Kunye Together brand, which the report describes as owned by Shimza. Saturday’s event went ahead with Shimza on a line-up that also featured international DJ Francis Mercier and South African house veteran DJ Kent. The Citizen approached Shimza for comment via the Just Exists PR agency. At the time of writing, no response had been received. This article will be updated once a statement is received.