Herman Mashaba

Herman Mashaba is a South African entrepreneur, politician and Mayor of Johannesburg. He is the founder of the hair products company Black Like Me.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} He is famous in South Africa for his life story:^[9][10] one of growing up and struggling against poverty and the Apartheid government to open his own hair business, which became the biggest hair brand in South Africa, making him a millionaire.^[11][12][13] He publicly backed Mmusi Maimane in the Democratic Alliance leadership race.^[14][15] He also wrote the book Black Like You which is his autobiography.^[16] Philosophically, he is a libertarian and "capitalist crusader" whose highest value is "individual freedom." ^[17]

On August 22, 2016, Mashaba was voted in as Mayor of Johannesburg by the first sitting of council.^[18]

Early life and career

Mashaba was brought up in near-poverty in GaRamotse in Hammanskraal, Gauteng, by his sisters while his absent domestic-worker mother worked to provide for the family.

His older brother dropped out of school at 15, going from one unsubstantial job to another. Mashaba realised that 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.

From a young age he was a strategic thinker - he bought a car without having a license and drove out of the dealership without ever having learned to drive. He drove himself from one selling job to another, in the process confirming for himself that he was a natural salesman with an unswerving instinct for business. 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. (Reference: Book titled "South Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs", compiled by Moky Makura, article written by Isabella Morris)

His company, "Black Like Me", was launched on Valentine’s Day in 1985 with a R30,000 loan from his friend, businessman Walter Dube.^[19]

Mashaba is also a music lover. After five years of secret lessons, he revealed himself as a pianist.^[20]

Politics

In December 2015, Mashaba announced that he would accept a nomination to stand for Democratic Alliance candidate for Mayor of the City of Johannesburg.

Mashaba stood as the party's City of Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate for the 2016 local government elections. South African Author, Associate Professor, Development Economist, and politician Rabelani Dagada was the other candidate.^[21]

Mayor of Johannesburg

In the municipal election on August 3, 2016, the ruling party, The African National Congress, lost their majority in Johannesburg, taking only 44.12% of the vote with the Democratic alliance taking 38.33%.^[22] 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 for Johannesburg, despite misgivings.^[23]

On August 22, 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.^[24]

See also

• Powell Mathebula

References

External links

• Herman Mashaba's Bio on his Autobiography Book's website
• Herman Mashaba's page on WhosWho South Africa