Herman Mashaba is a South African politician and entrepreneur with an inspiring background. He grew up during the apartheid regime and managed to do what most black South Africans were unable to do at the time.
He refused to let the oppressive system break him and, instead, found a way to use it to his advantage and become wealthy.
Very wealthy.
Rags to riches
Herman bought a cheap car and, with no driver’s licence, drove himself from job interview to job interview, looking for any sales job that would have him. He began by selling (black) African haircare products and became their top earner.
I love his stoic approach of turning an obstacle into an opportunity.
His company, Black Like Me, was launched in 1985 with a loan from his friend and businessman Walter Dube. Herman went on to become a self-made millionaire in a time when all the odds were stacked against him.
He says that his love for free market economics and capitalism is on what he based his success.
Our conversation
Today, Herman is a career politician for whose politics I don’t care, but his personal journey is immensely uplifting, motivating and a true example of swallowing the white pill.
He was surrounded by darkness but focused on the little bit of light.
