Cool, Calm & Creative

Cassper Nyovest says this bittersweet year has taught him that he’s smarter than he thought he was

- Qhama Dayile

SO DETERMINED is he to fill up stadiums around the country, he’s been dubbed Abuti Fill Up. In fact, his ability to get bums on seats earned him the best promoter and best hustler gongs at the recent SA Hip Hop Awards.

With all the money he’s making from his concerts, it’s no surprise Cassper Nyovest is dripping in designer clothes and gold when he pulls up at our offices in his Bentley. Yet he hasn’t been laughing all the way to the bank, he reveals.

“This year was bittersweet,” Cassper tells us. “I made the most money I have ever made but I also lost a lot because I had to pay the taxman.”

So, there’s truth in newspaper reports he owed R3 million to Sars, we remark. “I owed R13 million in fact. They reported that when I had already been paying my instalments,” he says. “I was filing my taxes but my accountant made a few errors.

“The company I worked with had big accounts, my account was the smallest and I felt they neglected me a bit,” he con tinues. “I didn’t know much about tax, but when they did an audit they sent a junior accountant to assist me. So, when Sars called me in, he couldn’t ans wer some of the questions.”

Cassper was shocked to learn he owed Sars R13 million. At the time, he was settling a debt of R7 million, which he accumulated during his drive to fill up Moses Mabhida Stadium.

“When some KZN artists complained about a Tswana guy getting sponsorships in their province, some of the sponsors pulled out,” he explains. Having made arrangements with Sars to pay off his debt, he hopes to settle it in December. “Luckily my assets weren’t repossessed.”