Herman Mashaba: Stop Putting Pressure On Maimane And I To ‘Get Married’

Former Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba on Wednesday said people must stop trying to force him into a marriage with Mmusi Maimane.

Mashaba spoke to Eyewitness News to clarify that he would not be forming a political party with the former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader.

Mashaba, who founded the People’s Dialogue in November, said he would launch his political party by June this year in order to contest next year’s local government elections.

But he insists Maimane was never part of that plan.

On Monday, Maimane told EWN that he and Mashaba were working together to form a new political party and that smaller parties were being recruited.

But Mashaba said they were not in this together.

“Mmusi has his own programme where he’s going around the country, engaging different political parties.”

He said he and Maimane have been working on separate projects since they left the DA.

“People are really putting pressure on us to get married, but I think they should give us space to really explore our different options.”

But when Maimane joined Mashaba’s People’s Dialogue, the former DA leader said they were working together to build a united South Africa.

At the same time, Mashaba said should Maimane decide to join his political party, he would not be guaranteed a leadership position.

He said even if Maimane decided to join his party, he wouldn’t automatically be a leader.

“Our political formation is not going to be a chieftaincy kind of an arrangement. People are going to be elected in a democratic fashion, they won’t be imposed on our political organisation.”

EWN