The walls are closing in on Macgyver ‘MacG’ Mukwevho as Old Mutual — one of his key sponsors — has decided to part company with his budding podcast.
A teachable moment for MacG and crew
On a recent episode of Podcast & Chill with MacG, the 31-year-old was caught in a heated conversation with fellow cohost Sol Phenduka and Ghost Lady about gender reassignment surgery.
In the clip that’s done the rounds on social media, Ghost Lady could be heard educating the two men about the transitioning process most people take to assume their true identity.
However, for MacG and Phenduka, it was unfathomable. It’s at this moment that the show’s viewers were treated to instances of pure ignorance.
idk y’all. is any of this funny??? pic.twitter.com/MXPUmZYBrI
— Lelo (@lelowhatsgood) January 25, 2021
Old Mutual first to cancel partnership
Suffice it to say, the widescale backlash this clip received was expected. As soon as it landed on social media timelines, it shot up the trends list.
Celebrities and LGBTQI+ activists from all over the world descended on Twitter, calling for action to be taken against the South African podcaster who, without a shred of tangible evidence, dragged the names of former G-Unit member Young Buck, Migos member Offset and Derby Counter manager Wayne Rooney into scandalous and baseless gossip.
Discrimination in the guise of being “raw & unfiltered” wish I could unsee that MacG podcast. Disgusted!
— Thando Thabooty (@Thando_Thabethe) January 26, 2021
transphobia and homophobia is violence. the lives of trans people matter. when platforms like MACG’s podcast invalidate their existence with ‘jokes’ & derogatory terms many intolerant people feel comfortable to violate & endanger those lives too. it is dangerous & intolerable.
— Langa Mavuso (@LangaMav) January 26, 2021
Consequently, businesses with a footprint in inclusivity are stepping forward to address the backlash. First up, Old Mutual issued a statement, confirming that it has severed all its ties with Mac G following his “harmful commentary against the LGBTQI community and humanity at large.”
“To say the least, MacG’s commentary was both ignorant and insensitive, clearly showing that much education needs to happen, especially in a country where people continue to be ostracised, killed, abused and raped for being who they are,” the insurance giant wrote in a scathing statement.
At the time this article was published, neither MacG nor his cohosts had issued a statement in response to the backlash.