Sol Phenduka Fires Back Over Claims He Disrespected Late Jaden Adams
- Sol Phenduka fired back at an X user who accused him of disrespecting the late Jaden Adams on Podcast and Chill
- The X user claimed the Chery bakkie's Grootman name was chosen to honour the late Bafana Bafana player
- The callout comes as Sol continues to face public scrutiny following his controversial remarks about slain runner Elizabeth Moelakgomo
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Sol Phenduka is back in the social media hot seat after an X user accused the Podcast and Chill co-host of mocking the Chery Grootman bakkie and, by extension, disrespecting the memory of the late Bafana Bafana player Jaden Adams. The podcaster pushed back hard, insisting the claims were outright false.
On 6 October 2026, a user going by the handle Gabriellvbbs called out Sol directly on X, suggesting that his on-air jokes about the Chery KP31, now dubbed the Grootman, were insensitive given the name's supposed connection to Adams, who passed away in July.
"On the latest episode of Podcast and Chill, you made fun of Cherry (grootman). Mind you, the name was selected to honour the late Jaden Adams," the user wrote.
Source: Instagram
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What Sol Phenduka had to say
Sol was quick to shut the accusation down. He insisted the name was not chosen as a tribute to Adams, as Chery ran a public voting campaign to decide the bakkie's name.
"Stop with the lies. It was not to honour Jaden Adams. May his soul rest in peace. Please respect the dead; let the man rest."
While Adams was affectionately known among fans as "Grootman" due to his bald-headed look, the name was voted in by the public to suit the rugged new diesel-hybrid double-cab's personality rather than as a formal memorial.
During the episode of Podcast and Chill, which aired on 5 October, Phenduka commented on the Chinese car manufacturer's move to give its new bakkie a proudly South African name as it grows its market in the country.
He joked that he hopes the truck won't "switch off after two minutes" like actual grootmans, poking fun at the mechanical reliability of imported vehicles compared to the older men their name references.
Supporters backed him up, with several users arguing that the original accuser had stretched the truth to manufacture outrage.
See the interaction below.
Sol Phenduka still under public scrutiny
The latest spat arrives at a particularly delicate time for Sol. He has been under sustained fire from Mzansi social media users following controversial jokes he made about slain runner Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moelakgomo on Podcast and Chill. He issued a formal public apology for those remarks, but the backlash has not fully died down, and critics continue to monitor his commentary closely.
The Chery Grootman exchange has added fresh fuel to an ongoing conversation about the boundaries of humour on popular South African podcasts, with some listeners questioning whether Sol is learning from previous missteps.
Watch the Podcast and Chill episode below.
Podcast and Chill slams Women for Change
In an earlier report, Briefly News shared Sol Phenduka and MacG's reactions to Women for Change allegedly telling Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma's March and March movement to stay out of GBV discussions.
The podcasters zeroed in on a social media post from the organisation accusing March and March of jumping on the GBV matter for internet attention.
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Source: Briefly News
