Actor Wiseman Mncube issues a public apology to former 'Big Brother Mzansi' star Ash-ley Ogle after making racially charged comment.
Image: Instagram
In a season defined by its fiery theme, "Big Brother Mzansi" season 5 ignited not only excitement among fans but also a troubling phenomenon of toxic fandom culture.
As viewers rallied passionately around their favourite contestants, their competitive love quickly morph into a contentious battleground marked by aggressive trolling and online confrontations.
Recently, award-winning actor Wiseman Mncube found himself at the centre of a social media firestorm after posting a racially charged comment about Ash-ley Ogle, one of the show's contestants.
In the now-deleted post, which sparked outrage among fans, Mncube referred to Ogle as a “coloured”, made derogatory comments about her hometown, Wentworth and urged contestant, Sweet Guluva to distance himself from her.
Wiseman Mncube's now-deleted Facebook post referred to Ash-ley Ogle as a 'coloured' from Wentworth.
Image: X
During her stay in the "Big Brother" house, Ogle was involved in controversy.
She faced backlash after making insensitive comments about fellow housemate Kay B who revealed that she is a rape survivor.
Ogle suggested that Kay B was looking for attention by sharing her painful experience during a conversation in the house.
This sparked calls for her immediate disqualification from the house which later led to her receiving a strike from Big Brother.
Back to the post, Mncube has since apologised, saying that the post was meant to be a joke and that it was thoughtless of him.
“I would like to sincerely apologise to Ashley, her fans and anyone else I may have hurt with my words,” he wrote on X.
But what's even more interesting is how Ogle's fans responded.
Instead of calling out Mncube for his comments, they took to social media to mobilise a campaign against him.
They tagged the brands he works with, including Netflix SA, demanding that they take action against him.
“@NetflixSA you are associating with a racist and cyber bully. Is this how you people are in South Africa? This is preposterous,” said @Myreeee___M on X.
@queenKhleo commented: “@NetflixSa should be selective about people they put on their platform, do background checks on their socials cause this sort of thing doesn’t happen out of nowhere, guaranteed it’s happened before whenever I see this person in a show I’m going to skip because I’ll know I’m watching a racist.”
In other countries, the term “coloured” may be considered a slur but in South Africa, the term is used to refer to a person of multi-racial ethnic groups.
This is not the first time that toxic fandom has been an issue in the world of “Big Brother Mzansi”.
During Sweet Guluva's campaign, his fans were accused of harassment and spamming, leaving comments on unrelated posts and essentially bullying people into voting for him.
The tactic may have contributed to Sweet Guluva's win, but it also left a sour taste in the mouths of many.
This kind of fan activism can be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it can be amazing to see fans using their collective power to stand up for what they believe in, but on the other hand, it can also lead to a kind of toxic mob mentality, where fans feel empowered to harass and bully anyone who disagrees with them.
While Mncube's apology acknowledges his mishap, the incident reveals how quickly fans can rally, either positively or negatively, to defend their favourites and demand accountability from public figures.