Has the ANC got its mojo back?

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British liberal politician Joseph Chamberlain said, “In politics, there is no use in looking beyond the next fortnight.”  Nowhere is this more true than South Africa right now, and especially for President Cyril Ramaphosa 

Over the past fortnight, we went from seriously questioning his attempted intervention in Russia’s war in Ukraine to watching in awe and amazement as he strongly dressed down European leaders for their behaviour towards Africa and its people.

And just as we got angry with the acting public protector’s report on the Phala Phala matter involving the theft of dollars from the president’s game farm, which found that the Ramaphosa had committed no wrong and did not have a case to answer, we then witnessed him open up to the media about the difficulties the government and the ANC face and what they are doing about it. 

The Ramaphosa we loved seemed to be back. He reminded us of the time when he quoted Hugh Masekela’s song, Thuma Mina, or when he clumsily covered his eyes when putting on a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic. The funny and honest Ramaphosa.  

Over the past few years we haven’t been able to interact with that Ramaphosa. All we saw was an exhausted, beleaguered and under-siege person. We read about him through press statements, watched him give addresses and saw him in parliament, but the “thuma mina” moment was not there. His confidence was not convincing.  

Now it seems Ramaphosa had his mojo back.  

It comes across as natural, sincere and authentic. In today’s age of virtual reality and synthetic goods, one shouldn’t underestimate the value of authenticity.  

In reality the credit must be given to the ANC and not the well-paid government communicators. Gone are the media consultants with their graphs and sample surveys. It seems that as the ANC has had to navigate the media terrain with limited financial resources, it has gone back to basics — keeping it simple — listening, responding openly and being accessible.  

It began with the recently appointed electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, addressing the media regularly.  He can be criticised for repeating the information too often, but his commitment to transparency is commendable. Ramakgopa is different to his cabinet colleagues, not just in how approachable he is, but how he dressed and carried himself did not change when he became a minister. He seems to reflect an activist ANC, not a bureaucratic overbearing one.

In many ways, credit must be given to the team at the ANC headquarters, Luthuli House, as led by the secretary general, Fikile Mbalula. Before this two-week turnaround, he seemed to singlehandedly represent the ANC with the media.

Many of us may have forgotten this open ANC and less-guarded leadership. When the ANC was unbanned, journalists would talk about how they spent time with Thabo Mbeki in the Johannesburg airport bar. It seems that Mahlengi Bhengu, the ANC’s spokesperson, must have been listening to the quiet rumblings about Ramaphosa not sitting down regularly with journalists and editors. She convened a sit-down between Ramaphosa and editors and senior journalists for close to two hours. She said this would be a regular occurrence.  

It was telling that this was an ANC-organised media jamboree and not a Union Building’s one. It had no time for the slow bureaucratic protocol-centred approach of the government communicators. And just as Ramaphosa spoke with clarity and sincerity when addressing France’s President Emmanuel Macron, so too did he with the media. He did not need to provide ready-made solutions; his natural charm and openness about the difficulties provided a good insight into the perspective of the government and the ANC.

The ANC as a liberation movement was wary of the media. They were fearful of being infiltrated or their message deliberately misconstrued. Over time they have tried to control the message and who speaks, but their lack of detail and openness has resulted in their message being sterile, boring and bereft of the main issues facing people. 

Mbalula has not had those apprehensions. His Twitter account, with the unforgettable handle of @fearfokkol, is legendary. He spoke his mind, whether as a minister or the ANC head of elections. Given his preference for Twitter, many may have thought that the ANC’s secretary general would focus on virtual platforms, but it has been a people-based communications strategy.

The past two weeks have shown that the ANC is intent on opening itself up to the people.  It is directly tackling the notion that South Africa is a failing state by talking directly to the media and the public. It has refused to point to history but to regularly account.

The opposition political parties must be worried. For too long they have had an enormous share of the media reporting and opinions to spread their message of fear and prejudice. 

The ANC, not just Ramaphosa, is getting its mojo back.  

The question is, will this continue for the next year, until after the next elections? Let’s see what the next two weeks bring us.

Donovan Williams is a social commentator. 

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.