Mashaba is a liability

Thabile Mange from Roodepoort writes:

Imagine the City of Joburg under the mayorship of businessman-cum-politician Herman Mashaba. It would be a disaster. Mashaba lacks the necessary experience to run a city as complex as Joburg, though he thinks otherwise.

The official opposition party has chosen a novice, Mashaba, over an experienced politician, Rabelani Dagada, as its mayoral candidate for the City of Joburg. The DA is under the illusion that the Mashaba name, which is a brand, will bring them votes in the forthcoming elections.

The DA has a knack of electing political novices as mayoral candidates for the City of Joburg. Mmusi Maimane, now party leader, was the mayoral candidate in the last local government elections. Maimane had charisma but lacked experience. Hence he was not voted into power.

Mashaba, who originates from the dusty streets of Hamanskraal, made his money through a hair product called “black like me”. He defied the apartheid laws through his entrepreneurial skills and succeeded in business. Today he is a millionaire.

Though he is self-made and an astute businessman, the official opposition’s Joburg mayoral candidate makes a poor politician. Every time he opens his mouth, he speaks out of turn. He should stick to what he knows best: business.

Mashaba is a benefactor of BEE yet he is advocating for the scrapping of the BEE policy, which seeks to redress the past imbalances. Isn’t that hypocritical? He is also critical of Affirmative Action. Yet he expects blacks to vote him into power.

The other day he said “poor people can’t lead”. It was a very unwise and reckless statement to utter. What message is he sending to the masses? When the downtrodden protest against poor service delivery, aren’t they showing a sign of leadership?

I respect Mashaba’s decision to join politics but I think it was a wrong move. He has not honed the art of speaking, which is a skill a politician needs to succeed in his or her career. When he speaks, he puts his foot on the mouth. He’s proving to be a liability rather than an asset for the opposition party.

MPL John Moodey responds:

Thabile Mange asks if Herman Mashaba’s has the right qualities to lead Johannesburg. The answer is an unequivocal yes.

Mr Mashaba’s life experiences and track record equips him to make an excellent Mayor. Under the blue banner of the DA, Herman Mashaba is going to roll up his sleeves, and make Johannesburg work again. He represents the best the DA could possibly find. People on the ground that I’ve met are excited that we’ve been able to attract such a talent from the real world.

Born and raised in Hammanskraal, Herman Mashaba knows what it is like to grow up in poverty. That’s why he displays strong emotional intelligence. He emote for his fellow citizens. I have seen again and again how he connects with people – especially the poor. He feels their pain.

He knows what it will take to make this easier for the children of Johannesburg to follow their own dreams.

Mr Mashaba knows what it takes to start and run a successful business and create thousands of people, when the odds seem impossible.

He knows that the future of thousands of unemployed young South Africans lies in the hands of the job creator, entrepreneur and small business owner, and not government.

Mr Mashaba understands why small businesses struggle and why most of them shut their doors within a year of starting. And he knows how to fix this. He has developed an unrivalled set of policies to make Johannesburg Africa’s leading city.

He is the man who will get Johannesburg working again. And to use his campaign line: ‘If Johannesburg works, South Africa works.’

Herman will be the people’s mayor.