Sophie Masite was a pioneer of democratic local government, and the first black woman mayor in South Africa. She was the leader of the rent boycott in Soweto in the 1980s, but insisted on payment for services when the political motivation for boycott ended. From 1995 – 1997, she was Mayor of the Southern Metropolitan Substructure including Soweto. While serving as a mayor, she continued to live in the White City home where she grew up.