JOHANNESBURG - Podcasters Macgyver Mukwevho and Sol Phenduka of Podcast and Chill have apologised for a distasteful joke they made over the disappearance of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who was later found dead.
The pair admitted during a recent episode that aired on Monday that they should have exercised better judgment.
Mukwevho said, “As broadcasters, myself and Sol as seasoned broadcasters, we should have done better.”
Phenduka, who also acknowledged the issues around gender-based violence as he echoed Mukwevho's sentiments.
“Even apart from just the fact that she ended up being brutally murdered, just her missing it was nothing to find any source of humor from," he said
‘Podcast and Chill’ backlash
A clip from the Podcast and Chill’s episode which aired on 14 September saw both Mukwevho and Phenduka trivialize the incident involving Moselakgomo.
At the time, she had still been missing since 9 September after leaving her home for a routine run in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park.
Her disappearance made it to that podcast where Mukwevho said the lady could have easily ‘kept on running’.
This saw Phenduka responding back with a pun directed to her race number, causing laughter during the episode.
The clip received heavy backlash on social media, with many regarding it as deeply inappropriate and insensitive given the recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni and the fear that it sparked within communities and among women themselves.
Moselakgomo was discovered on 12 September 2026 and was officially identified by her family on 14 September.
‘It's distasteful’
Phenduka had, on his own personal social media account, apologised.
In the video, he said, “I made an unfortunate pun or joke at the time. We laughed but it's not funny anymore because the lady, when the story developed, was found in Kempton Park... “
“Deriving a joke, be it targeted to someone else about a situation [of a] missing person is distasteful because it is a traumatic situation especially in the context of South Africa and the unfortunately high femicide that we have.”