The gloves are off in the fight between a well-known businessman, Johnny Khubana, and reggae artist Collet “The Burning Doctor” Lisoga.

The two parties, who met last year with the promise of following each other everywhere, had their long trip cut short barely six months after they met. The once good partners have now turned into two bulls in one kraal.

Khubana, a security company owner and also a pastor from Maniini near Thohoyandou, is accusing Burning of breaching the contract he signed during the release of his latest album, Tshikwashamidi, last year.

On the other hand, Burning is accusing Khubana of failing to fulfil the promises he made when the contract was signed.

The tension between the two went public on Saturday afternoon when Khubana arrived at the spot where Burning, of Tshino village, was busy promoting the album for sale to the public at a Thohoyandou complex.

According to eye-witnesses, the two exchanged harsh words over the phone after Khubana distributed 50 copies of the album while accusing The Burning Doctor of selling fake copies.

Khubana admitted to handing out fifty CDs of Tshikwashamidi to the public, stating that this was because “this guy was selling fake copies of the same album.”

Burning, however, claims that: “I have all the rights to sell any type of CD I want, as long as it is my music that I am selling. Khubana came into my life as a Messiah who wanted to help build my career, but he failed to give me the R6 000 monthly salary that he promised. He only gave me a R6 000 advance once and then another R800, which was the last money I received. On top of that, Khubana also failed to distribute a single CD to any music shop, not even a spaza,” Burning says.

“We also agreed that I was free to do as I pleased during a meeting that we had in October last year, but now he has turned out to be an evil person who wants to destroy my career and my family by making them starve,” says Burning. He says he does not fear Khubana, but he respects him.

Khubana, however, insists that there was never a promise of a monthly salary in the contract. “What Burning did was to take stock from me while promising that he would come back and pay for it when it had been sold. What did happen is that Burning never set foot in my office at Maniini, near Thohoyandou. The next thing, I received messages that he was busy selling fake copies of the same album and I warned him about that. Because he is too stubborn, I am now going to demand damages of more than R90 000 which I incurred when releasing his album so that he must learn a lesson,” Khubana says.