Swangz Avenue co-founder Benon Mugumbya has broken his silence on Zafaran’s departure from the record label, insisting the decision was a mutual business move rather than the fallout many had assumed.
The music executive addressed the matter in a video shared on his TikTok page on Wednesday, days after speculation intensified following the singer’s announcement that she had left Swangz Avenue.
The clarification comes after Zafaran revealed on 25 June 2026 that she had parted ways with the label she joined in March 2022. In her statement, the singer maintained that the separation had been amicable.
However, her decision to rebrand from Zafaran to Zafar and announce a new YouTube channel prompted widespread speculation online.
Some reports suggested there had been disagreements between the artist and her former management. Others claimed Swangz Avenue had prevented her from using her stage name or retaining her YouTube channel.
According to Mugumbya, those claims do not reflect what actually happened.
Mugumbya said the partnership came to an end after both sides evaluated the business relationship and agreed it was time to move on. He explained that the decision had been reached several months before the public announcement.
“A couple of months ago, we had to make that tough decision to end our partnership with Zafaran. It was purely a business decision, nothing dramatic. It’s common practice in our line of work to evaluate whether the partnership still makes sense. The math has to keep mathing.”
He also explained why the label did not immediately communicate the decision to the public. According to Mugumbya, existing commitments involving a European promoter delayed an official announcement.
“So we had that difficult conversation, but we were unable to issue a statement because of prior business engagements with a European promoter.”
After Zafaran publicly announced her departure, she also disclosed that she had adopted the name Zafar and started a new YouTube channel.
Mugumbya said that sequence of events created an impression that Swangz Avenue had restricted her from using her previous name. He rejected that suggestion.
“Unfortunately, last week she put up a statement and did an interview stating that she has changed her name and started a new YouTube channel, which insinuated that we had stopped her from using her name, which is not the case.”
The Swangz Avenue boss further stated that the matter has since been resolved. He added that the handover process between both parties is ongoing.
“The issue has now been resolved, and we are in the process of handing over everything.” Mugumbya also dismissed reports portraying the separation as hostile.
He said Swangz Avenue still values Zafaran as an artist and intends to continue supporting her despite the end of their working relationship.
“Her exit is not as dramatic as it has been depicted by some bloggers; it’s purely business, and we’ll keep supporting her in any way possible. We still believe in her talent, and she is very disciplined. That’s it, no drama.”
The developments have attracted significant attention within Uganda’s entertainment industry, where artist departures from major record labels often generate intense public discussion.
In this case, Swangz Avenue’s official explanation offers a different perspective from some of the claims that circulated after Zafaran’s announcement.
While reports suggested there had been conflict between the two parties, Mugumbya maintains the partnership ended following a business evaluation rather than personal differences.
Some online claims also alleged that the singer lost access to her original YouTube channel. That has not been confirmed.
Similarly, the specific details of the business evaluation that informed the decision have not been disclosed publicly. The terms of the ongoing handover process have also not been made public.
For now, Swangz Avenue says it remains committed to supporting Zafaran as she begins the next phase of her career under her new brand name, Zafar.
As the transition continues, attention is likely to remain on both the artist and the label, but based on Swangz Avenue’s account, the separation was intended to be a professional business decision rather than the dramatic split that some reports had suggested.
