HERMAN Mashaba, lesser devil, or greater angel? Will he succeed or fail as Johannesburg’s new mayor? It depends on the extent to which he reconciles apparent opposites: his capitalism and the socialism of the EFF.His party, the DA, does not have enough votes to run the city without EFF support. But the EFF opposes virtually everything he espouses. All they have in common is a common enemy, the "governing" ANC. Does that mean Mashaba’s tenure is doomed? So it seems.However, a few skilful tweaks to superficially opposite paradigms could make lovers of rivals. How? They are off to a bad start. Anti-Mashaba invective by the EFF knows no bounds. Compared with his rival, former ANC mayor Parks Tau, EFF leader Julius Malema called Mashaba a "lesser devil". EFF chairman Dali Mpofu accuses Mashaba of hating "his black skin" and of disrespecting "poor black people". Mashaba, he says, does not have "the interests of the poor at heart", thinks "only rich people can rule", and espouses "the dogm...
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