Sol Phenduka Responds to Speculation Following Khanyi Mars’ ‘Music Pulse’ Exit: “Why Do They Leave?”

• On Tuesday, 20 May 2026, Khanyi Mars announced that she had stepped down from her role as co-host of Music Pulse via Instagram Stories
• Taking to X, Sol Phenduka took time to explain the situation behind the repeated departures from the Podcast and Chill Network
• Meanwhile, Podcast and Chill continued its success with an international collaboration featuring Russell Simmons in Bali

Renowned broadcaster Sol Phenduka has reacted to Khanyi Mars stepping down from her role as one of four co-hosts on Music Pulse. The show falls under the Podcast and Chill Network, where Phenduka also features on Podcast and Chill with MacG as a co-host alongside Ghost Lady.

The development comes weeks after the network rebranded the show from Piano Pulse to Music Pulse and introduced controversial music executive Nota Baloyi as one of the co-hosts. Khanyi Mars confirmed her departure on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, sharing the news through her Instagram Stories.

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“I have officially taken the decision to leave Podcast and Chill network. I’m no longer part of Music Pulse. I am extremely grateful to the entire network,” Mars said.

See the screenshot below:

Sol Phenduka reacts to Khanyi Mars' Music Pulse exit

While Khanyi Mars did not reveal her reasons for leaving, South Africans speculated. An X (Twitter) user with the handle @HaositwePhiri suggested there was more to Khanyi Mars’ exit, citing Munaka, who previously exited Piano Pulse before Khanyi Mars joined, and Seemah’s recent departure. The netizen tagged Sol Phenduka and asked him to clarify. The comment read:

“First Moonaka, Seemah and now Mars. I’m seeing a pattern, and I do not like the thoughts it’s evoking in me. @Solphendukaa, what’s going on there? Genuinely.”

Sol Phenduka responded, shutting down the speculation, saying people leave jobs and workplaces every day, and that Khanyi Mars' exit was nothing unusual. He encouraged users to ask those who had left directly for answers. The post was captioned:

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“A pattern 🤣🤣🤣 Eyi. People leave Jobs and positions; it happens every day in many SA companies. Why do they leave? Fortunately, you know all their social media accounts, fam. Ask them.”

SA reacts to Sol Phenduka weighing in on Khanyi Mars' exit

Sol Phenduka’s response gained traction and sparked a flurry of reactions. Some cited other presenters and shows that exited the Podcast and Chill Network

Here are some of the comments:

@VillageGuluva said:

“There were no patterns when Mpho Popps’ team left. People are weird.”

@djkingstuz agreed:

“People leave all the time. People leave relationships, marriages, jobs, close businesses, and open another one and so on. People will always leave. Those who stay behind always have one job. To rebuild, start over and move on. Such is life, unfortunately.”

@I_am_Who_I_aam speculated:

“What if competitors, especially big brands, influence these influencers 🤔”

@ykthesaint claimed:

“He's tryna insinuate that since it's the women leaving... then it must be related to some form of sexual assault.”

Podcast and Chill goes international again

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that MacG and Sol Phenduka recorded another international episode of Podcast and Chill.

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The duo was in Bali, where they recorded an episode of the popular podcast with United States hip hop veteran Russell Simmons,

Source: Briefly News