Sol Phenduka Slams Retail Giant for Paying Foreign Artist R50 Million Amid Job Cuts

• Sol Phenduka criticised a popular local supermarket for reportedly spending R50 million on a foreign artist while stores were closing and workers faced retrenchments
• He was responding to an X post that highlighted the retailer's trading loss, store closures, declining stock price, and expensive sponsorship commitments
• His comments sparked a heated debate online, with some social media users agreeing that the spending priorities were misplaced, while others argued that the retailer's problems run much deeper

Days after tipping his hat to a popular supermarket retailer, renowned broadcaster Sol Phenduka has blasted another for failing to uplift South Africans. The Podcast and Chill co-host, known for speaking his mind on several issues, sparked a heated discussion with a take on a popular supermarket’s social service responsibility endeavours.

On Wednesday, 3 June 2026, X (Twitter) user @iamkoshiek shared a snapshot of Pick n Pay’s annual financial report. The X user suggested that the group’s trading loss and low stock price were partly because of its sponsorship deal with the Springboks, when that money should have been invested in the store. The post read:

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“an expensive missed tackle 🏉 🚑 in the last year Pick n Pay shut down 56 stores, posted a trading loss of R953 million & started a retrenchment process. PnP stock price is down 30% since the Springboks sponsorship deal. The shirt deal was estimated at R280m over 4 years 📊💰”

See the post below:

Sol Phenduka blasts retail giant over R50 million advert amid job cuts

As South Africans weighed in, Sol Phenduka broke his silence. He essentially agreed with the X user and called out the supermarket for paying American hip-hop musician, Rick Ross, millions for an advert while South Africans were retrenched. The post was captioned:

“Then they paid Rick Ross R50 million for an advert. Meanwhile, ordinary South Africans are relegated to poverty as they close stores 💔”

SA weighs in on Sol Phenduka's reaction

Sol Phenduka’s response gained traction on the microblogging platform and sparked reactions. While some agreed with Phenduka, others disagreed and shared why Pick n Pay was shutting down stores.

Here are some of the comments:

@Momo55885706 argued:

“They have the right to work on their marketing campaigns. You think 50 million can save a retail store. They have bigger problems.”

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@lkhuzwayo361 argued:

“The problem is bigger than that, they are not making profits, they are losing market share to Shoprite and Woollies, Checkers sixty60 alone is growing faster than Pick n Pay, labour wage bill too high, giving Rozay 50m was to drive sales and market (don't know if it worked).”

@rizaanjappie said:

“The Rick Ross collab was silly. Why him. PnP marketing department has become disconnected.”

@Jesta_music agreed:

“Broo, I’ve always been saying this, that Pick n Pay has been successful for over 30 years, but they still pay tellers R4k, they should be earning 25-30k, but they would rather take out millions to sponsor teams or individuals, which doesn’t make sense to me.”

Sol Phenduka praises popular supermarket for inclusivity

While Sol Phenduka was critical of Pick n Pay's decision-making during a tough period, he previously praised another popular retailer for being inclusive, as previously reported by Briefly News.

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Phenduka shared his experience on X, sparking mixed reactions, with South Africans sharing similar experiences at other retailers.

Source: Briefly News