Naledi Aphiwe Throws Shade at Thandeka Tshabalala After ‘Read the Room’ Interview

• Naledi Aphiwe returned to social media to fire shots at Thandeka Tshabalala following a spicy Read the Room interview
• The singer referenced Thandeka's new Chillers Punch collaboration with MacG, using it to mock the reality TV personality online
• Thandeka's fans, the Thalians, hit back hard at Naledi, dragging her career and past controversies into the fight

Naledi Aphiwe has once again shown that she is not afraid to stir the pot online. Just hours after Thandeka Tshabalala's sit-down on Read the Room with hosts Phil Mphela, Shamiso Mosaka and Londie London made waves, Naledi jumped onto X to take a not-so-subtle dig at the former Big Brother Mzansi star.

The post, shared on 13 August 2026, read: "Ninjani ma Chillers Punch (How are you, Chillers Punch?)" - a direct reference to Thandeka's partnership with MacG for his Chillers Punch brand, which will see her launching her own flavours. The interview itself was partly intended to promote the upcoming drinks, but things took a messy turn when Tshabalala clashed with the hosts, particularly Londie London, and Naledi clearly spotted an opportunity to poke fun.

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Several users online baited the singer into talking up her own résumé, and she obliged. Naledi pointed to her Basadi in Music Awards wins and described herself as "the youngest Metro FM nominee and winner of our generation." Her supporters found it all entertaining, but Thandeka's fanbase, known as the Thalians, were far less amused.

The Thalians came for Naledi's career, with some also resurfacing reports that she allegedly lost a multi-million-rand deal with Stambo following vile social media posts she made about fellow singer Mawelele's girlfriend.

See Naledi Aphiwe's posts below.

A look at Naledi Aphiwe and the Thalians' feud

The tension between Naledi and the Thalians reportedly ignited when the singer publicly backed Liema Pantsi to win the R2 million grand prize at Big Brother Mzansi instead of Thandeka. That declaration seemed to make her a permanent target in the eyes of Thandeka's supporters, who have been taking shots at her ever since.

Naledi is no stranger to online controversy. She has a well-documented history of being vocal, and at times combative, on social media, which even led to a petition calling for her to undergo media training to better manage her public image.

As for Thandeka herself, she has not publicly responded to Naledi's remarks. With the Thalians already fighting her corner, it seems she may not need to.

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Londie London breaks silence on Que fallout

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared Londie London's perspective following her friendship fallout with Qophelo "Que" Ndwandwe.

Following his viral clash with Londie's friend during the singer's reality show, Que took to social media to call out the production, claiming the footage was manipulated to make him look bad. This ultimately led to his and Londie's friendship coming to an end.

The singer finally opened up about the friendship break-up and how she is choosing to handle it.

Source: Briefly News