Herman Mashaba
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Herman Samtseu Philip Mashaba (born August 26, 1959) is a South African politician, entrepreneur and the current president of
ActionSA ActionSA is a South African political party established by former mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, soon after he left the Democratic Alliance. The party states that it has been established to "set South Africa free from the restraints of ...
, a party he launched on 29 August 2020. He served as the
Mayor of Johannesburg The Mayor of Johannesburg is the chief executive of the City Council and the highest elected position in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. List of mayors * Johan Zulch de Villiers (1897–1900) Appointed by South African Republic Executi ...
from 2016 to 2019. He is the founder of the hair product company Black Like Me. He is famous in South Africa for his background: he grew up struggling against poverty and the
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
government to open his own hair business, which became the biggest hair brand in South Africa, making him a millionaire. He publicly backed
Mmusi Maimane Mmusi Aloysias Maimane (born 6 June 1980) is a South African politician, businessman, and Leader of Build One South Africa, a political party. Maimane is also the former Leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) political ...
in the Democratic Alliance leadership race. He wrote the autobiography ''Black Like You'' and recently he wrote his new memoir "The accidental mayor". Mashaba is a libertarian and "capitalist crusader" whose highest value is "individual freedom." On 22 August 2016, Mashaba was elected
Mayor of Johannesburg The Mayor of Johannesburg is the chief executive of the City Council and the highest elected position in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. List of mayors * Johan Zulch de Villiers (1897–1900) Appointed by South African Republic Executi ...
by the first sitting of the city council following countrywide local government elections. He announced his resignation on 21 October 2019 and left office on 27 November 2019. After launching his new party, Mashaba announced he would run for Mayor of Johannesburg again in the 2021 municipal elections, this time as the ActionSA candidate.


Early life and career

Mashaba was brought up in near-poverty in GaRamotse in
Hammanskraal Hammanskraal is a functional, trans-provincial region anchored in northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The region consists of multiple, residential, industrial and commercial areas in a decentralized settlement pattern. History The historica ...
, north of
Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
by his sisters while his mother worked to provide for the family. His older brother dropped out of school at 15, moving from one unsubstantial job to another. Mashaba realised that acquiring an education would be crucial for him to break out of the cycle of poverty. He graduated from high school but did not complete his tertiary education. As a young man, Mashaba bought a car without even having obtained his driver's license. He drove himself from one sales job to another. He started selling "SuperKurl" African hair-care products and became their number-one earner. He soon realised that these products excited him and that he wasn't content to be just an employee. His company, Black Like Me, was launched on Valentine's Day in 1985 with a loan from his friend, businessman Walter Dube. Mashaba is also a music lover. After five years of secret lessons, he revealed himself as a pianist.


Politics

From 2012 until May 2014, Mashaba served as chairman of the Free Market Foundation (FMF). He stepped down from his position when he joined the Democratic Alliance as an "ordinary card-carrying member", citing the need for the Foundation to remain politically impartial. Mashaba announced in December 2015 that he would accept a nomination to stand as a Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for the
City of Johannesburg The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. Z ...
in the 2016 local government elections. The other possible DA candidate was Rabelani Dagada.


Mayor of Johannesburg

In the municipal election on 3 August 2016, the ruling party, The
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
, lost their majority in Johannesburg, taking only 44.12% of the vote with the Democratic alliance taking 38.33%. The Democratic Alliance entered into conversations with the Economic Freedom Fighters to form a coalition. Whilst the EFF declined the offer, they agreed that they would vote for Mashaba as the Mayor of Johannesburg, despite misgivings. On 22 August 2016, Mashaba was sworn in as a Johannesburg City Councillor. Later that day, he was sworn in as the Mayor of Johannesburg, the first non-ANC Johannesburg mayor since 1994. On 21 October 2019, he announced his resignation as mayor because of differences with DA party leadership. His resignation took effect on 27 November 2019.


Labour

Mashaba has characterised the ANC's post-Apartheid labour laws as "draconian". He led a Constitutional Court challenge by the FMF, arguing that Section 32 of the Labour Relations Act is unconstitutional. The FMF argued that the bargaining council process reduces competition, as smaller businesses may not be able to afford the higher wages agreed on between larger businesses and unions, contributing further to South Africa's unemployment rate.


Post-mayoral career

Mashaba formed ''The People's Dialogue'', a medium to interact with ordinary South Africans and discuss social and civil issues, which launched on 6 December 2019, and closed on 29 February 2020. After considering running for Mayor of Johannesburg under a different party banner, Mashaba launched the new political party,
ActionSA ActionSA is a South African political party established by former mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, soon after he left the Democratic Alliance. The party states that it has been established to "set South Africa free from the restraints of ...
, on 29 August 2020. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mashaba criticized the ruling ANC party for refusing to cut ties with Russia.


Public profile


Allegations of xenophobia

Mashaba has made numerous public comments and actions that have been considered xenophobic and linked to incidence of xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant sentiment. He has said South Africa has "nothing to apologise for" in reference to xenophobic violence occurring during his tenure as Johannesburg mayor It is said that Mashaba leaves a xenophobic legacy although he has attended a sensitivity program on diversity by the Human Rights Commission.


Support for death penalty

Mashaba is in support of the reintroduction of the death penalty in South Africa but only for rape and murder.


References


External links


Mashaba's bio on his autobiography's website

Mashaba's page on Who's Who South Africa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mashaba, Herman 1959 births Living people People from Hammanskraal Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Mayors of Johannesburg South African businesspeople South African libertarians University of Pretoria alumni ActionSA politicians