Alas, the poor believe what they have been told for the past 20 years, namely that economic freedom can be achieved by government taking away from those who have and giving it to them, the have-nots.” In his modest office on the third floor of Fredman Towers in Sandton, Herman Mashaba (54), business leader, self-made entrepreneur and founder of the successful haircare house Black Like Me, talks passionately about the role that civil society needs to play in stopping the rot and launching the country on the high road to success. Desperate to stop the notion of dependence and inspire South Africans to instead help themselves by becoming entrepreneurs, Mashaba decided to join the Freemarket Foundation where, as chairman, he uses every possible opportunity to spread the message of entrepreneurship. In fact, for as long as it is humanly possible, he would like to contribute meaningfully to civil society, so retirement does not even remotely feature on his radar. “Even the church realises that South Africans need to enhance their entrepreneurial skills in order to achieve economic freedom, so that is what I will again be preaching as guest speaker at the Bible Society’s banquet in Soweto in October,” he notes as an aside. Born in a deprived environment, Mashaba learnt early in life that he, and he alone, was the captain of his own destiny. His mother was a domestic worker, and he lost his father at the tender age of two. “It would have been wonderful to have a father as a role model, but at the end of the day, there are millions of people in the world without fathers,” he muses. “The day I jumped out of my mother’s body, I knew I was a capitalist,” he laughs. “It’s a system that encourages us to be independent of others. While interaction with other people is critical, at the end of the day the final responsibility lies with you. You’ve got to understand that as a human being you have to get up every morning and go to work for yourself and for your family.” This mindset has guided him throughout his career as an entrepreneur. As a youngster growing up in the GaRamotse and Hammanskraal communities north of Pretoria, ‘High Man’ developed a strong entrepreneurial knack while playing dice (he played a leading role) and even peddling dagga – supplied by a local gangster – at 20c per matchbox. The profit helped to feed him and his friend, Louis. “Looking back on my boyhood, I admit that I am not proud of some of the things I have done. But because I was not prepared to work for whites in the suburbs, I had to work for myself – and that meant taking advantage of the meagre resources that were available in the township. And most of the time, my choices were not legal,” Mashaba explains in his inspirational autobiography, Black Like You. Developing a strong sense of black consciousness in his later years, Mashaba enrolled at the University of the North with the intention of becoming a prominent lawyer. During his first week of orientation it became clear, due to his low marks for Afrikaans (which he detested), that this would not be possible, so he changed to a BA Admin, hoping to major in political science and public administration. Knowing that he would never be a public servant under the apartheid regime, he fell in love with political science and dreamt of becoming a political scientist of note. He also thoroughly enjoyed university life, the stimulation of the studies, the interaction with his peers and the social contact. It was during a university break that he once again met up with Connie Maloka, a former beauty queen he had first seen at a beauty pageant during his matric year. Despite being a ‘maverick’ who also dated other girls, deep down Herman knew she was the love of his life: the courtship flourished and a few years later they tied the knot. His wife for over 30 years, to this day Connie remains his confidante, his soulmate, his source of inspiration. His university career, on the other hand, did not have the same happy ending. “It was a time of great political turmoil and one morning we found the place surrounded by the army. We were given six hours to vacate. This meant the end of my academic dream as I was not prepared to return to a university that ruled its students with an iron fist, treating them disrespectfully.” Committed to joining the struggle against the boere, his plans to leave the country to join cadres in Tanzania also did not materialise. Firmly believing that everything in life happens for a reason, he has never regretted this setback, or any other part his life for that matter. “One thing that I’ve always accepted is that you should rather focus on the future than dwell on the past. Sure, it’s important to be mindful of our history, but I always remind my children that our actions today will determine our future. It’s up to us what we make of life,” he stresses. Likewise, over time, through his business dealings and interaction with white people, Mashaba realised that they were not the “brutal and evil creatures” he thought they were. After working for a salary for only 30 months – at a Spar in Hercules and the furniture manufacturing company Motani outside Pretoria – Mashaba decided to go it alone. “I needed to get my independence and realised it could best be done through my own business. It was in the early 80s and the apartheid regime effectively prevented black “The only way we, as civil society, can ensure that this democracy will survive as Mandela wanted it, is very active participation.” men from going into business, but I said to hell with this. If there’s a bad law in place, I have no choice but to break it.” He bought himself a blue Toyota Corolla and took up various commission sales jobs, successfully selling linen, crockery, even fire-detection systems, which sold like hot cakes in households dependent on fires for cooking and heating. It was also the time, early in 1983, when he and his lovely Connie decided to tie the knot and they were among the first blacks who ventured into a posh Durban hotel for their honeymoon. One day, while poring over the real estate section of the newspaper, on the lookout for a suitable first house for him and Connie in Soshanguve, he noticed an advertisement for a sales representative for SuperKurl, a company that manufactured black haircare products. Although the company was actually looking for a white salesman, after an interview with the owner, Mashaba landed the job. Once again he excelled at selling and returned home each month with an ever-increasing pay cheque. At the same time, he also got to know Johan Kriel – the Afrikaner chemist who developed SuperKurl’s products – very well. It was just a matter of time before the two of them, along with workmate Joseph Molwantwa, put together a business plan and obtained funding from businessman Walter Dube for their own business, Black Like Me, to cater for the burgeoning black haircare market. “What appealed to me most was that it suggested black pride, a consciousness of what our new company aimed to promote, and what it would offer to consumers,” he writes in his autobiography. Within seven months, Black Like Me could not only repay its debt to Walter Dube, it was growing in leaps and bounds, making money “like a Monopoly game”. Playing a vital role in keeping tabs on the finances and all the transactions, Connie was part and parcel of the team. Active marketing by popular hairstylist Anver Saferdien, who joined the marketing division of Black Like Me, as well as a number of high-profile TV sponsorships (among others, two hair and grooming series), sports events such as boxing matches of the middleweight champion Dingaan Thobela and a road-safety campaign during the Easter pilgrimage of the Zionist church to Moria, ensured massive brand visibility. Black Like Me was on a roll and by 1997 the multimillion rand company emerged as a leader in black haircare. Despite setbacks like the huge fire that destroyed the Ga-Rankuwa factory, “mission recovery” was accomplished within two years and it was business as usual. Another miracle (after countless in vitro attempts) was the birth of Nkhensani, Herman and Connie’s baby girl in 1994, followed by the arrival of their son, Rhulani, in 1997. In 1997 Colgate Palmolive bought 75% of Black Like Me, but this marriage did not work out as the expected synergies did not come to fruition. “It was one of the lowest ebbs of my life. I had established Black Like Me on the whiff of an oil rag, built it into a multimillion rand corporation, watched as it burnt to the ground and rebuilt it again – I was not going to watch another meltdown,” he says in his autobiography. With the help of his friend Shane Ferguson, Mashaba bought back his 75% share for less than Colgate had paid. This thoroughly reenergised Mashaba to take the company to new heights. “By getting back to the basics, re-hiring key staff, re-establishing the company’s focus, we were able to achieve phenomenal sales in 2001, and accelerated earnings a year later – realising an astonishing 40% growth.” In 2002 the launch of Black Like Me in the UK, at South Africa House on Trafalgar Square, drew keen interest from the elite of London’s hairdressing community, trade diplomats and expats. Having achieved the pinnacle of success as a self-made entrepreneur, 20 years on it was time for Herman Mashaba to move on to his next venture: black economic empowerment through strategic investments. His three Broad-Based Economic Empowerment initiatives– Leswikeng, Phatsima and Lephatsi – have shareholdings in a diverse portfolio of companies spanning mining, construction, aeronautics, finance and information technology. “The vision of each is to become a leading, non-racial entrepreneurial and socially responsible company, and to be at the forefront of the economic empowerment of previously disadvantaged groups in South Africa,” he writes in his autobiography. Nowadays Mashaba also spends a lot of his time at the Freemarket Foundation. “I believe the country is at risk. The only way we, as civil society, can ensure that this democracy will survive as Mandela wanted it, is very active participation. Fortunately, our constitution allows us to do this.” As chairman, Mashaba takes pride in playing a leading role in promoting a free and open society and fully functional democracy where the rule of law reigns supreme and entrepreneurship can flourish, thus adding another valuable dimension to his rich legacy. Career high: “The success of Black Like Me right from inception, building my own factory without asking anyone for capital.” Low: “17 November 1993, when the factory burnt down.” Outside interests: “Playing my own versions of jazz and R&B on the piano.” “Reading is one of my passions, and books have been my constant companions in my life. It is through the solitary pursuit of reading that I have managed to educate myself… by reading widely, I have tried to inform myself about the world and many of its remarkable people.” Tennis and golf. “I play off an 18 handicap and just love the game.” Role model(s): “Nobody – my father passed away when I was only two. I looked up to my grandfather because of his inspiration and motivation.” “Businesspeople like Raymond Ackerman and Richard Branson also inspire me.” Key philosophy: “If you don’t look after yourself, then you cannot look after anybody else.” Ultimate goal: “In the short to medium term, to see our democracy firmly on the path of reconstruction instead of destruction, unemployment shrink and our kids receiving a proper education. Beyond that, I can’t see…” Retirement: “I hope and pray that I will be able to work at least until the age of 80 and to remain an active member of society, contributing in some way or another.”
