Cassper Nyovest slams Mark Fish for ‘all lives matter’ stance

Rapper Cassper Nyovest has joined the chorus of outrage over former Bafana Bafana footballer Mark Fish's comments on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mark sparked outrage when he liked a tweet that claimed Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was a “BEE appointment” and a racist “just like (Mmusi) Maimane”. The star responded by claiming “all lives matter”.

He later apologised for the offence his comments caused, but denied that he is racist.

“Sorry to offend many people. I certainly am not a racist but I am a firm believer in all people matter so all lives matter. No matter our past, focus on today and the future. If you don’t stand for something you will always fall for everything. Have a fantastic evening,” he wrote.

Cassper was left fuming at the apology and took to Twitter to urge the star to “stop tarnishing” his legacy.

He added that Mark was “reckless” with his comments and it was a “clear display of white privilege”.

Cassper said he was disappointed in Mark.

“Mark Fish is a f**king idiot! What a dumb **s! Why would he even tweet that? All the time he spent with black people at camp, all this information on the internet and nothing learnt? Wow my dude! I'm utterly disappointed because I was a big fan.”

Cassper acknowledged that saying “all lives matter” wasn't in itself racist, it was “extremely ignorant”.

Musician Simphiwe Dana also weighed in on the outrage, sharing a post about understanding the argument that “all lives matter” during the Black Lives Matter movement.

She said that Mark's “erasure of black suffering is really sucky” and said it felt like a slap in the face.

“We know the history of our oppression and the horrors it visited on our collective psyche, how oppression robbed and enslaved us. Our lives have not mattered for so long.

“Now when we cry and demand justice and visibility, we are met with a callous ‘all lives matter’. As if it is true that black lives have ever mattered. Disingenuous, tone deaf, apathetic. We know the race rift in SA. But there are just those people you assume understand. It feels like a slap in the face when you realise they never did.”