Christopher Motabogi
An Honorary Doctorate was bestowed on one of South Africa’s earliest black entrepreneurs in Bloemfontein last week.
Herman Mashaba, founder of the well-known hair product-range Black Like Me, received his Honorary Doctorate in Business Management from the Central University of Technology (CUT) on Tuesday. Dr Mashaba recalled how his endurance, passion for business and never say die attitude made him one of South Africa’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. He began his career at the age of 22 at a time when apartheid was at its height and the likeness of him succeeding was not good. Since then his “Black Like Me hair products empire” has grown from strength to strength and with his stewardship has since diversified into other businesses.
He currently holds directorships in many companies.
Mashaba was born 53 years ago at a village near Hammanskaal north of Pretoria into an impoverished family, mainly raised by his two sisters in the absence of his domestic-worker mother. “Unfortunately I had to abandon my studies in the second year in 1980 and started my business career at the age of 22 as a Commissions Sales Representative which culminated in conceiving the idea of Black Like Me in 1984 and started with manufacturing in 1985,” he says. Mashaba has made a huge success of this business.
He told Bloemfontein Courant that CUT’s decision to bestow the honorary doctorate upon him “came as a total surprise and it means a lot. I really appreciate the university bestowing such recognition on my life and achievements over the last plus-minus 30 years.”
Mashaba also advised students to take their education seriously.
“Unfortunately, if you look at the working environment today, without serious education your chances of finding employment are very slim,” he says. He challenged all South African academics and students to play their part in transforming the education system, which he says is not really preparing (our) children to face the 21st century working environment. “We need to find ways to adapt our education to ensure that it’s in line with what is happening economically in the 21st century” says Mashaba.
CUT spokesperson, Dan Maritz, described Mashaba as “a self-made entrepreneur who holds a conspicuous place within business for having distinguished himself among his peers and also transcending challenges of growing business in this country.”