CROWNING GLORY

CONNIE MASHABA, CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF HER ICONIC HAIR CARE BRAND, SPEAKS ABOUT HER RESILIENT JOURNEY AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER DURING APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA TO CO-FOUNDING A BLACK-OWNED ENTERPRISE THAT'S A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN THE COUNTRY TODAY.

- by Chanel Retief

Connie Mashaba takes a sip of rooibos tea, holding on to the warmth of her cup as she reminisces on a chilly August Thursday afternoon in South Africa. We are in her office in Centurion and she smiles, harking back to what it was like for a Black woman living in South Africa during the apartheid to become an entrepreneur.

Her company, Black Like Me, which she co-founded with her husband Herman, is celebrating 40 years this year, and as Managing Director, she stayed the course, through thick and thin, establishing a hair care brand that withstood the vagaries of time and toil.

“Because we were so committed, dedicated and hungry to succeed, we endured the hardships,” says Mashaba. “I always thank the women and men of that era who, when we came out with our product [under Black Like Me], were receptive. They were also hungry to be [represented].”