Backlash Forces Sol Phenduka to Apologise

Sol Phenduka has issued an apology after making callous remarks on “Podcast and Chill”.

In the latest episode of the popular podcast – released on Monday, 14 September – Phenduka and his co-host, MacG, were discussing the disappearance of local runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo.

At this point, Phenduka made jokes about Moselakgomo’s disappearance, including the fact that she should have kept running if someone was trying to “snatch” her. This drew laughter from MacG and other staff members in the studio.

Moselakgomo’s body was found on Monday in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, where the bodies of four other women were also discovered.

Following intense social media backlash, Phenduka took to his Twitter/X account on Wednesday, 16 September, to post an apology.

“We recorded the latest episode on Sunday, as it usually drops on Monday,” the 39-year-old podcaster is heard saying in the posted video clip. “At the time of recording, there was a lady who, at the time, was missing. I made an unfortunate pun/joke. We laughed, but it’s not funny anymore, because when the story developed, it was discovered that the lady’s body was found in Kempton Park.”

He continued: “I profusely apologise to South Africans, Chillers (supporters of the podcast) and the family. Making a joke about a missing [person] is distasteful, especially in South Africa’s context and [considering] the scourge of femicide.”

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