10 Things you should know about Herman Mashaba

Herman Mashaba is widely known as the founder of Black Like Me. Here are 10 Things you should know about Herman Mashaba.

1. Herman Mashaba was brought up in GaRamotse in Hammanskraal by his sisters while his absent domestic-worker mother worked to provide for the family.
2. His older brother dropped out of school at 15, going from one unsubstantial job to another.
3. Mashaba realised that acquiring an education would be crucial for him to break out of the cycle of poverty.
4. He graduated from high school but did not complete his tertiary education.
5. He started selling “SuperKurl” African hair-care products.
6. His company, Black Like Me, was launched on Valentine’s Day in 1985 with a R30,000 loan from his friend, businessman Walter Dube.
7. He is also a music lover. After five years of secret lessons, he revealed himself as a pianist.
8. From 2012 until May 2014, Mashaba served as chairman of the Free Market Foundation (FMF).
9.  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.
10. Mashaba announced in December 2015 that he would accept a nomination to stand as a Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg in the 2016 local government elections.