US court orders Lebo M to pay comedian Learnmore Jonasi R640,000

The tables have turned for Grammy Award winner Lebo M in his lawsuit against Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka.

South African composer and performer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake has been ordered by a United States federal court to pay $39,560 (about R640,000) in attorneys’ fees to Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, following their highly publicised legal battle over "The Lion King’s" iconic opening chant.

The order was issued on August 28, 2026, by US District Judge Josephine L. Staton in the Central District of California in the case Lebohang Morake v. Learnmore Mwanyenyeka.

The ruling does not determine whether Mwanyenyeka’s comedic interpretation of the chant was an accurate translation. Instead, it deals specifically with the legal fees arising from the comedian's successful anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) proceedings.

Anti-SLAPP protections allow defendants to challenge lawsuits that arise from protected speech, with fee recovery potentially available to a successful defendant.

The dispute began after Mwanyenyeka, also known professionally as Learnmore Jonasi, joked about the meaning of “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba”, the famous opening chant from "The Lion King".

Morake, who is credited as the creator and original performer of the chant, took issue with the comedian's interpretation.

According to court documents, Mwanyenyeka said the phrase meant: “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god” in Zulu, and subsequently repeated the joke during comedy performances.

Morake maintained that the translation was false and that the comments damaged the cultural and artistic significance of his work.

He subsequently filed a lawsuit against Mwanyenyeka in March, seeking $27 million in damages. The case attracted international attention because of the extraordinary amount involved and because it centred on comments made in a comedic context.

Mwanyenyeka responded with an anti-SLAPP motion, arguing that the claims against him involved protected speech.

The court ultimately found that the comedian had prevailed for purposes of the anti-SLAPP proceedings and was therefore entitled to recover attorneys’ fees.

The judge's August 28 order states that the defendant's lawyers had incurred $39,560 (R638,834.26) in reasonable fees after the court reviewed their billing records and adjusted certain calculations.

The lawyers had initially submitted a higher figure of $45,935 (R741,819.93), but the court reduced the amount after finding that some of the work performed by attorney Zachary Hansen had mistakenly been calculated using his colleague Bryan Sullivan's higher hourly rate.