This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
On October 21, 2019, Herman Mashaba, the mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, announced his resignation from the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party.
Mashaba, a 60-year-old millionaire who made his fortune in black hair products, was elected as the city's mayor in 2016, becoming the first mayor not from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) since apartheid ended in 1994.
He cited the party's approach to racial inequality as the reason for his resignation, stating that he could not reconcile himself with a group of people who believed that race was irrelevant in the discussion of inequality and poverty in South Africa.
"I cannot reconcile myself with a group of people who believe that race is irrelevant in the discussion of inequality and poverty in South Africa," Mashaba told a press conference in Johannesburg.
His decision was sparked by the election of former DA leader Helen Zille as the party's federal council chairperson at the weekend.
"The election of Zille as the chairperson of the federal council represents a victory for people in the DA who stand diametrically opposed to my beliefs and value system," Mashaba said.
