Sol Phenduka Issues an Apology for Tsontso Joke, South Africa Divided About Podcast and Chill
As more chilling updates develop in Kempton Park concerning the discovery of female corpses, with the latest news bringing the total body count up to nine, South Africa has been on edge. From the murder of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo to the lacklustre response of the South African Police Service, many have called for decisive leadership in the fight against femicide and Gender-Based Violence and better policing of the matter to bring the culprit to book. On the other end of the tragedy, Podcast and Chill, namely MacG and Sol Phenduka, have found themselves on the wrong side of controversy over a distasteful joke about Tsontso.
On Episode 799, which aired on Monday, 14 August 2026, MacG and Phenduka touched on the recent Kempton Park murders. Sol Phenduka started making jokes about the disappearance of Tsontso.
Because episodes of Podcast and Chill are shot ahead of time and scheduled as future drops, when Sol made the joke, Tsontso’s situation had been a missing person case rather than a confirmed murder. The controversial segment of the show can be found at the timestamp 1:23:21 of the episode, which premiered on YouTube this past Monday.
Check out the segment below:
Owing to the developments, Phenduka took to social media to issue an apology in the form of a recorded video.
“I’m recording this video to apologise. Ngicela uk’xolisa (I’d like to apologise). We recorded the latest episode—which normally drops on Monday—on Sunday. And at the time of recording, there was a lady [named Tsontso] who, at the time, was missing. And on the show we had a guest co-host, Yanda Woods. Throughout the show, there was banter; she’d diss me about my weight—it’s fine, it’s whatever. I’m used to it. And I was dissing her and that her podcast doesn’t have numbers. I made an unfortunate pun-joke [involving Tsontso]. At the time we laughed, yeah, but it’s not funny anymore because the story developed and her body was found in Kempton Park,” he said.
He also apologised to the family, in addition to the Chillers, the name of the podcast’s fandom, and South Africans at large.
“I want to profusely apologise to South Africans, to Chillers, and to the family,” he said.
South Africans, however, were extremely critical of Sol’s actions, with many panning his joke as distasteful and claiming that he wasn’t being sincere.
Rapper and businessman Cassper Nyovest commented on the joke made on the show and said, “The guys you support. This podcast is poison!!!! Just evil!!! Poison!!!”
@Maliviwe said, “Cracking jokes about a missing woman in South Africa and then going home to your mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, nieces, sisters, etc is crazy […] Even at that very moment you should have known how vile and inappropriate that was. UMDALA.”
Others were much more lenient towards Sol and his apology.
Best-selling author Jackie Phamotse simply retweeted the apology video with the words: “Thank you.”
@destiny_ndlovu said, “Apology accepted @SolPhendukaa. We appreciate you taking accountability. This is a serious issue, and we hope the apology is followed by greater sensitivity and responsibility going forward.”