Herman Mashaba challenges Zille and the DA: “They underestimate me - but I’m not done with Joburg."

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba sits down with Alec Hogg in an unflinching interview about political ambition, betrayal, and the battle for South Africa’s biggest city. Fresh off a surprise by-election win, Mashaba fires back at Helen Zille’s claim that his “veneer is fading,” accuses the DA of trying to erase his legacy, and outlines how he plans to reclaim Johannesburg by building a people-first coalition. “They can call me whatever they want,” he says, “but I’ve got unfinished business - and it’s called fixing this city.”.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.BizNews Reporter.ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is back in the spotlight and as fiery as ever. After a surprise by-election win in the North West, the former Johannesburg mayor is setting his sights on taking back the city he once governed — and taking a few political shots along the way. Speaking to Alec Hogg, Mashaba laid out his strategy, his frustrations, and his unfiltered thoughts on Helen Zille and the DA he once called home.The interview began on a celebratory note. ActionSA had just pulled off its first by-election victory — a small rural ward long dominated by the ANC. “We beat them by two votes,” Mashaba said proudly. “This is a municipality they’ve controlled for thirty-one years. They threw everything at us — blue lights, mayors, even the premier — but we still won by two votes.”For Mashaba, that win meant more than a seat. It was proof that every vote counts. “People always say, my one vote doesn’t matter. Well, this is the case that proves it. One vote can topple a government.”He believes this message could be a turning point for black voters who’ve given up on the system. “We’re launching a massive voter registration campaign,” he said. “It’s time people realise their power.”But behind the celebration was reflection. Mashaba admitted that contesting all nine provinces in the last election had been “a mistake.” His new strategy is leaner, focused, and calculated. “We’ve identified between thirty and forty municipalities to contest,” he told Hogg. “Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni — those are in category one. We’ll only contest where no one can govern without us.”It’s a plan built on lessons learned and political scars earned. Mashaba praised Dr Nasiphi Moya in Tshwane and Thulani Khumalo in Ekurhuleni as examples of what happens when the right people are put in charge. “Leadership is everything,” he said. “South Africans want results, not excuses.”Still, Johannesburg looms large in his mind. Mashaba spoke with both nostalgia and unfinished anger about his time as mayor. “No one knows that city better than I do,” he said. “When I took over in 2016, I had no clue what a mayor even does, but I learned fast. I faced a hostile ANC determined to destroy me and a DA that refused to support me. But I stood firm.”He recalled uncovering R35 billion in fraud and corruption during his tenure. “I fired six hundred senior officials in three years. I used to report every month to the public about corruption cases. But since I left, silence. What happened to those billions? Why aren’t journalists asking about it anymore?”The frustration was visible. “You know what really hurts me? We had expropriated one hundred and fifty-four buildings for redevelopment — R32 billion in private investment ready to create twenty-two thousand jobs. And then the dark forces pushed me out. Nothing has moved since.”For Mashaba, that sense of betrayal runs deeper than politics. When the conversation turned to Helen Zille, his tone hardened. “As far as I’m concerned, when she sees me, she doesn’t see a man. She sees a boy,” he said quietly. “Our upbringings are too different. I could never work with her again.”He also pushed back at her accusation that he was too close to the EFF. “I’m prepared to take that to the highest court in the land,” he said. “The EFF never came to me for tenders. Not once. But I can’t say the same for the DA.”Mashaba told Hogg he had fired three DA MMCs for corruption despite party resistance. “Every time I moved against them, there was pushback. And those same people are still in politics today. That tells you everything.”He sees ActionSA as a corrective to that old politics of denial. “We’re not here to protect cadres in blue or in yellow,” he said. “We’re here to serve citizens.”So will he run again for mayor? The question hung in the air before Mashaba answered with the mix of bravado and candour that has come to define him. “If I can’t find another Nasiphi Moya or another Thulani Khumalo, then yes, I’ll run. But only for one term. This job is brutal, and it’s not for old people. If I come back, it’s for one reason — to finish what I started.”That would mean war on corruption from day one. “This time I know who’s who. I know who’s dirty. The day the results come out and ActionSA is in power, I’ll call them out by name and tell them to run. Because I’m coming.”Alec Hogg couldn’t help but draw a comparison. “Sounds a bit like Donald Trump,” he said with a laugh. Mashaba smiled. “Maybe,” he said. “But the difference is I’m not fighting for myself. I’m fighting for the people of Johannesburg. I left my business to serve society, not to serve politics.”Whether or not he runs, Mashaba’s message is clear. He sees Johannesburg as the heart of the country’s political redemption — a city where competence and integrity can still prevail over cadres and corruption.“People can call me whatever they want,” he said. “But I’ve got unfinished business. And I’m not done with this city yet.”

Herman Mashaba challenges Zille and the DA: “They underestimate me - but I’m not done with Joburg."

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