Pule Mabe has been at Luthuli House for some years but is now ready for a new chapter . (Lucky Morajane/Daily Sun/Gallo Images)
In his first days as the ANC national spokesperson, Pule Mabe was thrown into the deep end when the party made the decision to recall its then sitting president, Jacob Zuma.
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte called Mabe to her office and told him that he had been appointed the party’s new spin doctor. Minutes later, he was off to brief the media on Zuma’s recall.
Mabe’s excitement was short-lived. He, together with former communications manager Khusela Diko had to brave a relentless media storm as Zuma made public statements on his intention to defy the governing party’s marching orders.
“I must say I did not have full confidence in handling the media. When I came into this position, by the way, I never even thought that I would complete six months in the position. So, [it has always been a case of] having my bag next to me thinking that the next day I might be gone. Here I am, almost finishing a term,” he told Mail & Guardian.
To Mabe, this was a baptism of fire, but his time as the ANC spokesperson has been characterised by dousing fires at every turn.
“It’s important for us, as ANC communicators, to always come across as giving assurance and certainty to the nation, especially because the ANC is the governing party,” he said, insisting that the positions of the ANC must never be misinterpreted.
“I came to understand that in my near five-year journey as the national spokesperson of the ANC. It was a bit bumpy at first, challenging as we went through, but we ensured that we steer the ship.”
Another challenge was the suspension of secretary-general Ace Magashule, the man thought to have fought for Mabe to become his right hand at Luthuli House. Traditionally, the secretary-general works closely with the spokesperson. The two positions are charged with communicating the positions of the party to the media and the general public.
It goes without saying that a secretary-general would want someone that he or she trusts as the party mouthpiece. Gwede Mantashe and Zizi Kodwa, Mabe’s predecessor, leaned on each other during their terms. That relationship also morphed into the faction they supported in the Zuma years and now with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In November 2020, the ANC was up against one of its toughest challenges as Magashule faced charges of money laundering, corruption and fraud. When Magashule entered the courtroom in Bloemfontein flanked by supporters, Mabe was beside him.
Mabe told M&G this was part of the responsibility afforded to his position as spokesperson: he would have to brief ANC officials on the outcomes of Magashue’s court appearance, and he had to put out fires as Magashule’s inner circle was gung ho in its lashing out at the country’s judiciary.
“There was one court appearance of the SG [secretary-general] before he stepped aside where we did the presser afterwards. I had found these cadres having written a statement, which they wanted the SG to present out there lashing out at judges. I said ‘no, comrades, it’s not going to happen’. The secretary-general of the ANC can never come out as lashing out at the judiciary, we have got the duty ourselves to always uphold the independence of the judiciary, in our articulations and in our actions.”
Once the ANC decided on a formal position against Magashule, he had to toe the party line.
When the ANC communicated the decision to suspend Magashule, he fired his own salvo at Ramaphosa, in turn trying to suspend the sitting president.
The letter from Magashule “suspending” Ramaphosa reached the media in the late hours of 5 May 2021, which meant serious damage control was needed from Mabe. While Mabe was doing this, Magashule was still confirming the authenticity of the letter in public, along with his intentions to “suspend” Ramaphosa.
Mabe, at this time, was trying to convince the media that the letter was “fake news” that intended to create panic in the country as well as the international community and among investors.
“I still maintain that it was fake to the extent that the SG himself did not have the authority to do so at the time because there was a decision of the NEC to suspend him. So I was saying it in the context that the SG did not have the authority to do so,” said Mabe during his M&G interview.
Another period that tested Mabe’s resolve was Zuma’s defiance of the state capture commission, and his defiance of the constitutional court order that he should testify at such. It was this defiance of the court order that ultimately led to Zuma’s incarceration, which sparked off the deadly and costly July 2021 riots.
“Actually, if you look at all our statements, during the period that I had assumed the position, I had avoided working with a team to make sure that we don’t make contradictory statements. What we say, are the things we must be able to repeat tomorrow,” said Mabe.
His time within the upper echelons of the party has not been without blemish. In 2019, he was accused of sexual harassment and was forced to temporarily take a leave of absence.
Mabe also came under fire when it emerged that he was linked to a company which received undue payment amounting to R30 million from a contract with Ekurhuleni metro while he was a member of parliament.
He has also been criticised by the media as having been lacklustre in executing his duties, a move which in 2019 led to head of elections Fikile Mbalula roping in Kodwa and the since deceased Jackson Mthembu to help steer the ship during the national polls.
Mabe, however, takes pride in having made changes to the ANC’s communications department, which he claims has helped the party navigate the rough waters of Covid-19 and the economic downturn.
The communication changes include a greater focus on social media, which has boosted the ANC’s Twitter following from 400 000 to over a million, and improving its digital publication to ensure it speaks directly to party members.
“So if you look at [the publication] ANC Today, we said we were going to change what used to be called a letter from the president. We were instead going to [present] it as a conversation.
“So the front page of ANC Today is a conversation with the president. We are even taking what the president is doing in government now, and we turn it into conversations with every Friday edition.”
In response to those conversations, said Mabe, topical issues would be taken and used in a column called “Dear Mr. President”. ”
Mabe also pats himself on the back for having made Ramphosa more accessible to journalists, regardless of their seniority.
“I’m giving the young ones, all of you, I’m giving you an opportunity to talk to the president. I’m sure if there is a president you have spoken to more times than any other it is Ramaphosa. So that was part of a strategy, to deal with leaks, to remove a narrative that says presidents of the ANC are divorced or removed from the media.”
Mabe’s assertion on Ramaphosa’s relationship with the media is open to interpretation. Pundits and editors have often written to the presidency relaying their frustration with Ramaphosa’s communication team, which has limited access to the number one citizen.
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