At the time of his death Pikoli was working on a screen adaptation of
Born Freeloaders with Diprente Films, owned by film producer, director and comedian Kagiso Lediga.
Pikoli had published two books – an anthology of short stories
, The Fatuous State of Severity, which he wrote while undergoing psychiatric care, and his debut novel
Born Freeloaders, which was first published in 2019.
According to family spokesperson Twiggs Xiphu, the 33-year-old’s body was found by his parents, Girlie and former National Prosecuting Authority head Vusumzi (Vusi) Pikoli, in a Johannesburg flat.
“Phumlani’s parents had gone to Johannesburg, to check on him, after not getting any response from his phone,” Xiphu said in a statement.