The reason Herman Mashaba hates Helen Zille

DA mayoral candidate in Johannesburg, Helen Zille, said that ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba hates her because she exposed him for selling out the DA to the EFF.

She shared details about the animosity between her and Mashaba in an interview with Gabriel Makin on The Common Sense podcast.

Mashaba has gone to war with Zille, calling her a habitual liar and refusing to share a stage with her during mayoral debates.

When asked if he would debate Zille, in the run-up to November’s local elections, Mashaba said it would not be worth his time.

“I’m going to be wasting my time talking to someone that I know is going to lie in front of me. She’s a habitual liar, and she lies with a straight face,” he said.

The animosity between Mashaba and Zille is not new. It started when both were members of the Democratic Alliance.

In 2016, Mashaba was elected as the mayor of Johannesburg, representing the DA in a coalition with other parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

His tenure as mayor was tense behind the scenes, with ideological differences creating conflict between him and other DA members.

The conflict became public in 2019, when Zille was appointed as the DA’s federal council chairperson, a powerful position in the party.

A day after her new appointment, Mashaba resigned as Johannesburg mayor and left the DA entirely.

He said at the time that he resigned because the DA no longer aligned with his beliefs, particularly regarding race and its relevance to poverty in South Africa.

He said the party did not prioritise service delivery in poor communities, but rather focused on affluent suburbs in Johannesburg.

Following his departure, he formed ActionSA, which quickly gained notoriety for attracting politicians from both the DA and the African National Congress.

Helen Zille hits back at Herman Mashaba

Zille told The Common Sense that she made a point of not fighting with Herman Mashaba during her election campaign.

However, she did comment on their relationship. “Let me tell the truth about why he dislikes me in particular,” she said.

“When I became Chair of the Federal Council, I recognised that he had sold us out to the EFF leader Julius Malema in Johannesburg.”

She said that as a DA mayor leading a minority coalition, Mashaba depended on the EFF’s votes in the municipal council to pass major items.

“Julius Malema, being a shrewd politician, capitalised on this leverage, eventually remarking publicly that Herman had become the EFF’s mayor,” she said.

She said that Malema persuaded Mashaba to appoint Shadrack Sibiya as head of the city’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

“Securing influence over compliance and internal investigations provided strategic protection,” Zille said.

To secure EFF support for his restructuring plan, Mashaba conceded oversight of Johannesburg’s City Power.

“The board under Frank Chikane was disbanded, and Malema insisted on appointing his preferred candidate, Lulama Seedi, as Managing Director,” she said.

“This marked the start of systemic looting at City Power, with municipal funds subsequently flowing into front companies linked to Malema.”

She said that when Mashaba needed votes to pass the 2018 municipal budget, the EFF demanded the city’s fleet contract.

“Despite Afrirent bidding at nearly double the price of the preferred bidder, the contract was awarded to them.”

DA fightback against Herman Mashaba

Zille said that within the DA, it became clear that Herman Mashaba was acting as the EFF’s mayor.

“He spent more time conferring with the EFF caucus than with his own party members, causing deep frustration among DA councillors,” she said.

“When challenged, he claimed the DA opposed service delivery to disadvantaged communities. That claim is entirely false.”

She said that wherever the DA governs, service delivery in low-income areas outperforms other municipalities.

“In reality, he adopted and parroted that talking point because he could not face the fact that he had sold out to the EFF,” she said.