[14][6] He wrote the autobiography Black Like You and his campaign manager, Michael Beaumont, recently published a biography called "The Accidental Mayor".

After launching his new party, Mashaba announced he would run for Mayor of Johannesburg again in the 2021 municipal elections, this time as the ActionSA candidate.

[20] Mashaba was brought up in near-poverty in GaRamotse in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria by his sisters while his mother worked to provide for the family.

[22] He partnered with his white Afrikaner colleague at SuperKurl Johan Kriel and fellow salesman Joseph Molwantwa to launch the company, Black Like Me.

[26] Over the years he has invested and has business interests in various sectors: mining, construction, exhibitions, real estate, security, aviation and IT.

[29] He stepped down from his position when he joined the Democratic Alliance as an "ordinary card-carrying member", citing the need for the Foundation to remain politically impartial.

[30] Mashaba announced in December 2015 that he would accept a nomination to stand as a Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg in the 2016 local government elections.

[29] He led a Constitutional Court challenge by the FMF, arguing that Section 32 of the Labour Relations Act is unconstitutional.

[36] Mashaba formed The People's Dialogue, a medium to interact with ordinary South Africans and discuss social and civil issues, which launched on 6 December 2019, and closed on 29 February 2020.

[41][42] In 2021 it was revealed that in the first quarter of the year ActionSA had received more than R3.3 million in funding from donors above the threshold of R100,000, of which only R121,490 was from Mashaba's company Black Like Me and R2.5million came from the Israeli-South African businessman Martin Moshal.

[48] In a press conference Mashaba said he did not need the salary of a member of parliament as he is privileged and his family can take care of him, he further elaborated that he would rather be focusing on teaching South Africans on the danger of politics of identity.