A few years ago, after watching Lekker Jas/Nice Coat, Soli Philander’s witty and funny but serious love letter to Cape Town, at the Baxter, my wife and I were on our way back to our car when we walked past a white Afrikaans couple who appeared disappointed with the show. They had expected something more in line with Liriekeraai, a popular TV show which Soli had hosted years before.
This explained the dichotomy of the complex character that was Silamour ‘Soli’ Philander, who passed away on 4 March 2026 less than two months after his 65th birthday.
This dichotomy would follow him into the grave as we witnessed the traditional New Apostolic Church funeral he had on Saturday, 14 March, and the almost raucous memorial service that was held for him at the Artscape Concert Hall on Tuesday, 17 March.
Soli had played different roles in his 50 or so years in the entertainment industry. He was the gang leader, Nines, in District Six: the Musical in 1987, and acted in movies such as Kaalgat Tussen die Daisies (1997). More recently, he played a supporting role in Devil’s Peak (2023). He hosted several game shows, including Liriekeraai and Let’s Fix It. He also hosted a talk show on Punt Geselsradio and later Cape Talk. After that, he launched Taxi Radio, and, in his final years, he launched the Soli Philander Foundation, which worked mainly with housing insecure people in and around the city of Cape Town. Five years ago, he received the Lifetime Achiever’s Award at the Comic Choice Awards.
The funeral was a beautiful and solemn affair, with the officiating Apostle, Gavin van der Hoven, talking with reverence and admiration about Soli being a “larger than life” character and the legacy of “faith, hope and love” he has left behind.
He said that family had decided that there should not be an obituary read out at the funeral, but he read from social media messages that had been left after Soli’s passing – he had been fighting cancer – which described Soli as being “more than a name, but a presence” and “a soft-spoken voice of wisdom”. Soli was also described as “a son of the soil” who understood the struggle of the most vulnerable in society.
The Apostle spoke about how proud Soli was to grow up in Elsies River, where he first began to go to the New Apostolic Church. “He remained close to the church ever since and even sang in the church choir,” he said.
Soli was also described in Afrikaans as “a Kaapse klong met ’n gladde tong” (a Cape boy with a smooth tongue) and a true South African icon.
The powerful New Apostolic Church choir and the accompanying musicians provided the only cultural items at the funeral of a cultural icon.
Things could not have been more different at the memorial service held at Artscape in Soli’s honour on Tuesday night.
Hosted by comedian Marc Lottering (who described himself as “the poor man’s Soli Philander”, and directed by Basil Appollis, the memorial began with tributes from Artscape CEO, Marlene le Rox, and Western Cape MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, Ricardo McKenzie.
Unlike the funeral, where only the Apostle, another priest and Solly’s daughter spoke, several people from the entertainment industry, came to pay tribute to one of their own in the way they know best.
Those performing and/or reflecting on their relationship with Soli included keyboard player and vocalist, Celeste Williams; singer Natalia da Rocha who sang Tina Turner’s Simply the Best in tribute; choreographer Didi Moses, who read a poem; singer Robin Pieters, accompanied by Trevino Isaacs on piano, who sang Whitney Houston’s Run to Me; actors Vinette Ebrahim and Albert Maritz, who spoke about working with Soli at Punt Geselsradio; saxophonist August West, who performed with singer Carmen Xclusive; and performer and breakfast show host, Noel Oostendorp, who hosted Soli on his show in December, probably the last such engagement he had. Oostendorp led the crowd in singing I Can See Clearly Now, which he described as one of Soli’s favourite songs.
The cast of the drag show, Ab Fab, who was discovered through a process hosted by Soli, closed the evening with a trio of songs – This is Me (from The Greatest Showman), I’m Every Woman (made famous by Whtiney Houston and Chaka Khan) and Abba’s Dancing Queen – which, literally, brought the house down.
Collectively, the funeral and memorial service gave a fitting send-off to someone who was so much more than a comedian. He was a sensitive soul who grappled with the complexities of our troubled society and sought, until the very end, to make a difference to those most in need. I would often bump into Soli in Woodstock or District Six, where he hung out in recent years, and he would tell me about the work he was doing to help those who lived on the streets.
As the crowd left the Artscape building after the memorial service on Tuesday night, I could not help thinking about the loneliness that will now befall his family: his ex-wife, Toni, who he described as the love of his life, their children, Danya, Kyla, Caleb, Ethan and Lauren, and his extended family. I also could not help thinking about what will now happen to the foundation which carries his name, even though his close friend, Sharon van Schoor, has promised to keep it alive as part of his legacy. It will not be an easy task.
Rest in peace, Soli, and may your memory and legacy last forever.
(First published on Substack on 18 March 2026)
