Lebo M ordered to pay $40,000 in legal fees to comedian after failed lawsuit

A United States federal court has ordered South African composer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake to pay approximately $39,560 in legal fees to Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi. The ruling follows a failed $27 million defamation lawsuit filed by Morake against Jonasi.

The legal dispute originated from a joke made by Jonasi during an appearance on the One54 Africa podcast. Jonasi provided a humorous translation of the iconic Zulu chant, “Nants’ ingonyama bagithi Baba,” from the opening of Disney’s “The Circle of Life.” While the traditional meaning is associated with royal praise, Jonasi jokingly rendered it as, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my God.”

Morake, who is credited with the vocals in The Lion King franchise, accused Jonasi of defamation and trivializing a significant cultural composition. However, Jonasi’s legal team successfully argued that the lawsuit was a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (anti-SLAPP), asserting that the comedian’s remarks were protected by First Amendment free-speech rights.

Judge Josephine Staton of the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted the motion to dismiss. While Morake eventually abandoned his original claims, the court awarded Jonasi statutory attorneys’ fees based on the reasonable value of the legal services provided during the defense.