Sol Phenduka Apologises for Tasteless Joke About Missing Woman Found Dead

• Sol Phenduka released a video apology after making a joke during a Podcast and Chill episode about a woman who was missing at the time
• The woman's body was later discovered in Kimpton Park, turning what seemed like banter into a deeply distasteful moment
• Mzansi had mixed reactions to the apology, with some accepting it and others questioning whether the remorse was genuine

Sol Phenduka of Podcast and Chill has issued a public video apology after a joke he made during a recent recording drew serious backlash when the missing woman the conversation referenced was found dead. The self-recorded clip, filmed in what appears to be a home or office with green walls, shows a visibly remorseful Phenduka addressing the controversy in a sombre tone.

The podcast episode in question was recorded on a Sunday and featured a guest co-host, the Underwoods. During the recording, the banter got heated, with the guest taking jabs at Phenduka's weight and him firing back at her podcast's low numbers. In the middle of this exchange, he made what he described as an "unfortunate pun joke" tied to a woman who was, at the time, reported missing. The episode was set to air on a Monday.

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The moment the joke stopped being funny

By the time the clip began circulating online, the situation had taken a tragic turn. The missing woman, identified as a member of the Musila Khomo family, was found dead in Kimpton Park. What had passed as edgy humour during recording became impossible to defend in that context.

“I'm recording this video to apologise. We recorded the latest episode, which normally drops on Mondays, or we recorded it on Sunday. And at the time of recording, there was a lady who at that time was missing. And on the show we had a guest co-host the Underwoods throughout the show there was banter she was dissing me about my weight it's fine it's whatever I'm used to it and I was dissing her and her podcast that they don't have numbers and I made an unfortunate pun joke at the time yeah we laughed but it's not funny anymore um because the lady when the story developed her body was found in Kimpton Park and I just want to profusely apologize to South Africans to chillers and to the family deriving a joke be it targeted at somebody else about a situation around a missing person is distasteful um because it is a traumatic situation especially in the context of South Africa and the unfortunate high femicide that we have.”

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Sol Phenduka was clear that the joke was not directed at the woman herself but acknowledged that pulling any sort of humour from a missing person's story, particularly in South Africa's climate of high femicide rates, was wrong. He also noted that a clipped version of the footage was circulating, leaving out the portion where the Underwoods expressed hope that the woman would be found safely.

He extended his condolences to the Musila Khomo family and called on men to stop the violence, saying:

"It's mostly men who are the perpetrators. And I hope there's justice for these families."

Watch the X video below:

Mzansi reacts to the apology

The response from followers was divided. Some were willing to move on, while others felt the apology did not quite cover the gravity of the mistake.

@Apheshhh wrote:

"Even if she was 'just missing,' as you put it, there is absolutely nothing funny about someone being missing. You're making a joke out of something that was genuinely devastating, and it's honestly very insensitive. You're so silly, and not even in a funny way, by the way."

@ThobekaSin58375 said:

"Oh, I was so disappointed and mad, man. But I am glad you acknowledge what you have done and apologised. But can we do better going forward?"

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@Gudluzamagudlu was less forgiving:

"Characters like this Bo Sol, gambling addicts do this every time. No matter how many chances they get to change their lives, they are always quick to apologise after the fact; they show remorse for the sake of moving forward, and repeat the same thing."

@MeshackBevhulas chose a different perspective:

"Apology accepted, my dawg; we all make mistakes. Our anger should be directed to those that are causing this, including police that are failing us."

@realnickjgood offered constructive feedback:

"Perhaps this could be a meaningful opportunity to use your platform to raise awareness about GBV, whether through the show's backdrop or a banner at the bottom of the screen."

MacG and Sol face backlash for being insensitive

A clip from Podcast and Chill's latest episode surfaced on social media, showing hosts joking about the Kempton Park killings.

MacG made a joke suggesting missing runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo could have "kept on running" if she had spotted danger.

Source: Briefly News