The family of the late South African gospel legend, Deborah Fraser, has revealed their ongoing financial hardship, stating they have yet to receive any royalties from her music more than three years after her death in 2022.
Fraser’s son, Nkosana, spoke out, describing the family’s struggle and mounting frustration over the lack of communication from the relevant label, Universal Music Group.
Silence from Universal Music Group
Nkosana confirmed the family’s repeated attempts to seek answers have been ignored, leaving them financially vulnerable.
“We’ve never received my mom’s royalties, and we are struggling. What makes things worse is that Universal Music is not communicating with us. We’ve tried to reach out to them, but we are not getting any response,” Nkosana told Sunday World.
The publication noted the family shared copies of unanswered emails sent to the label requesting financial statements and updates on the royalties owed from Fraser’s extensive catalog.
Unreleased Work and Unexplained Debt
According to Nkosana, the family even approached Universal Music in 2023 with the late singer’s former manager, but received no clarity.
The label reportedly informed the family that, at the time of Deborah Fraser’s passing, she owed them two albums. Prior to her death, the Abanye Bayombona singer had recorded 12 songs, which the company later split into two separate albums.
While one album was released in 2023, the remaining six songs have yet to be made public. The core issue remains the lack of transparency regarding the income generated by the late star’s work.
“We should be getting financial statements from Universal Music to see our mother’s earnings, but we are not getting anything. This is frustrating and painful,” Nkosana added.
