Herman Mashaba city of johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – MAY 03: City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba during an interview related to service delivery on May 03, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the interview Mashaba said that there is simply not enough money to remedy service-delivery issues in Johannesburg and that he refuses to entrap himself with unrealistic deadlines.(Photo by Gallo Images / City Press /Tebogo Letsie)

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba apologises for Ebola comment

Mayor Herman Mashaba’s comment about Ebola was deemed factually incorrect and insensitive.

Herman Mashaba city of johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – MAY 03: City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba during an interview related to service delivery on May 03, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the interview Mashaba said that there is simply not enough money to remedy service-delivery issues in Johannesburg and that he refuses to entrap himself with unrealistic deadlines.(Photo by Gallo Images / City Press /Tebogo Letsie)

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba caused quite the controversy when he performed a citizens arrest earlier this week after he spotted a meat trader pulling a trolley filled with severed cow heads.

South Africans spoke out against his action, pointing out that Mashaba is killing small businesses and placing unnecessary strain on honest people trying to make a living. Several also remarked that Mashaba was an entrepreneur too at one point, selling hair products from his car. Mashaba is the founder of Black Like Me.

The following day, Mashaba said on Twitter that he won’t sit back and allow his critics to “bring us Eloba in the name of small business,” and that the health of South Africans has to come first. “Our health facilities are already stretched to the limit,” he said.

Peter van Heusden, an engineer at SANBI, pointed out that not only was Mashaba’s remark about Ebola factually incorrect but “horribly disrespectful” as well. He added:

“We need to support food safety through both stronger monitoring and support for small producers. I’ll remind you that listeriosis didn’t come from small biz!”

Other users questioned the connection between Ebola and contaminated meat, and the EFF in Johannesburg demanded an apology from Mashaba for his “alien attitude towards small business entrepreneurs [and his] medically illiterate posture.”

Read: Mashaba hits out at DA members who deny white privilege

The Mayor defended himself by saying that the businessman he arrested didn’t comply with “how raw meat ought to be stored and transported,” and that his actions were guided by the Meat Safety Act of 2000. Mashaba added:

“I fully support informal traders in our city, as much as I support the health of residents. Our Health Inspectors will be working with Street vendors in the Inner City to support them to meet our Environmental Health codes while working to earn a living.”

Nevertheless, he apologised for his insensitive remark earlier today. Mashaba said it was never his intention to attack any person or group – be it informal traders or foreign residents. The mayor said he was not above making a mistake and is willing to “humble [himself] and apologise unreservedly to our residents.”

He also announced that the city of Johannesburg budgeted R25m to “construct informal trading facilities in the inner city providing [informal traders] a space to grow their business.”

“For the insensitivity of my remarks about Ebola, I apologise unreservedly for those who my remarks have offended. For my dedication to the safeguarding the health of our residents and the rule of law in our City, I can never apologise because this was the changed by demanded by our residents in 2016. “

Read: Johannesburg ANC launch fresh bid to oust Herman Mashaba