From Black Like Me to ActionSA: Herman Mashaba’s journey from township hardship to politics

According to The Citizen, Herman Mashaba’s life has been a study in reinvention: from a young entrepreneur manufacturing haircare for Black South Africans to a political leader who frames himself as a champion of the poor.

Early life and hardship

According to The Citizen, Mashaba was born on 26 August 1959 in Ga-Ramotse village, Hammanskraal. His father died when he was two, and his mother left to seek domestic work in Johannesburg. The Citizen reports that life in Ga-Ramotse was harsh: the family and community had no running water, and Mashaba and his siblings stole water from a nearby Afrikaner farm at night.

According to The Citizen, at Lebelo Primary School Mashaba was punished because his mother could not afford the 25 cents school fee. He later attended Tshepo High School in Temba and completed matric before enrolling at the University of the North (Turfloop) in 1979; financial constraints cut short his first university studies.

From entrepreneurship to business growth

According to The Citizen, Mashaba began earning from a young age and, at 24, launched manufacturing of haircare products aimed at Black consumers the Black Like Me brand. In 1985 he partnered with two associates and eventually took full control. By the age of 30 he had built a factory in Mabopane, near Pretoria, employing dozens and exporting the brand to the UK, where he was hailed as the first black South African to establish such a business abroad.

According to The Citizen, Mashaba later diversified into mining, construction, real estate, security, aviation and IT.

Politics and public service

According to The Citizen, Mashaba entered municipal politics and became mayor of Johannesburg in 2016 under the Democratic Alliance (DA). The Citizen says he emphasised service delivery, infrastructure and anti-corruption measures during his tenure. He also said he was the only mayor to submit a comprehensive end-of-term service delivery report, which he handed to his successor.

After leaving the DA, According to The Citizen, Mashaba founded ActionSA and positioned himself as a reformist leader committed to ethical governance. The Citizen reports he deliberately chose not to join his fellow MPs in parliament and that his wife and daughter took over his businesses so he could focus on politics and coordinate the party outside parliament.

Return to the mayoral contest

According to The Citizen, Mashaba is preparing to run for Johannesburg mayor again in the upcoming local elections and has promised to overhaul and prioritise all municipal departments rather than focus on a single area.

Policy stance and public image

According to The Citizen, Mashaba sets three conditions for any coalition partner who wants to join ActionSA: they must declare corruption the public enemy number one, commit to service delivery for all residents, and support measures to curb undocumented migration. The Citizen also reports his stance on immigration has drawn criticism, but that he remains unapologetic.

“There is no contradiction. I grew up in abject poverty. I know how to go to school without shoes in winter, or to be punished by teachers because my mother could not afford school fees.“

According to The Citizen, Mashaba has used his personal history of hardship to justify his blend of free-market economics and a public commitment to social justice.

Personal notes

According to The Citizen, Mashaba has been described as a former amateur soccer player nicknamed “Pele” and enjoys playing the piano and watching football.