Veteran actor Sol Rashilo has fallen on hard times .
The stalwart thespian is at the centre of an urgent appeal for help after his living circumstances raised serious concerns about his wellbeing, dignity and access to appropriate care.
News that Rashilo is struggling to keep the wolf from the door was revealed by the Sello Maake kaNcube Foundation in a statement released in 13 August 2026.
The foundation has called on government, the creative industry, corporate South Africa and ordinary South Africans to come together to support Rashilo, describing his situation as deeply concerning.
The organisation said it became aware of Rashilo’s heart breaking circumstances following a visit to him by fellow television actor Sello Maake kaNcube, who subsequently brought the matter to the foundation ’s attention.
The foundation said Rashilo, an elderly pioneer who contributed to South Africa’s cultural landscape, now needs urgent assessment and intervention.
It has approached the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Department of Social Development, and asked it to assess Rashilo’s circumstances and activate appropriate support and care mechanisms.
“We cannot continue to celebrate our legends only when they are gone,” Maake kaNcube said.
“Ntate Sol is still here. He is still a human being who deserves dignity, care and respect.”
The foundation’s appeal comes with a painful question about what happens to artists who spend decades entertaining and enriching society, only to become vulnerable when age prevents them from continuing to ply their trade.
“We have to ask ourselves what happens to our pioneers when they can no longer work, when bookings stop and when age makes them vulnerable,” Maake kaNcube said.
The foundation said Rashilo’s circumstances expose a much bigger problem within South Africa’s creative economy, where many ageing artists and creative practitioners do not have adequate retirement, welfare or long-term support systems.
For the foundation, appreciation should not arrive only when an artist is being mourned.
“We are often very good at giving our legends dignified funerals, tributes and memorial services,” Maake kaNcube said.
“But dignity should not begin at death. Our legends deserve dignity while they are alive.”
The foundation is now appealing for practical assistance for Rashilo, including food and household necessities, appropriate care and support, healthcare-related assistance, accommodation or improvements to his living conditions and essential personal items.
It stressed that the appeal was not simply for money, but for people and organisations to contribute resources, expertise and goodwill to improve Rashilo’s quality of life.
The foundation also wants Rashilo’s plight to spark a national conversation about the treatment of ageing creatives.
It said possible interventions should include identifying vulnerable senior artists, helping them access social services and healthcare, strengthening retirement and financial literacy programmes and creating emergency support mechanisms.
It further called for senior creatives to be recognised as custodians of South Africa’s cultural knowledge and history.
The foundation said it was ready to work with government, industry bodies, corporates and the creative sector to find practical, long-term solutions.
It urged South Africans to approach Rashilo’s circumstances with compassion rather than pity.
“This is not about pitying a veteran artist. It is about recognising the contribution of someone from a generation that helped create the cultural foundations upon which today’s creative industry stands,” the foundation said.
“Ntate Sol Rashilo is still here.”
The foundation said South Africans now had an opportunity to ensure that Rashilo’s remaining years are marked not by neglect, but by dignity, care and the knowledge that his contribution to the country’s creative industry mattered.