Spokesman+doubles+Mbeki+troubles,+Renée+Bonorchis,+B+Day



=Spokesman doubles Mbeki’s troubles=


 * Renée Bonorchis, MsManagement, Business Day, 6 December 2007**

Political campaigns depend on money, charisma, brain power and popularity. But more than anything else they rely on communications.

President Thabo Mbeki’s campaign for re-election has faltered thanks to shoddy communications. And it is no coincidence that his poor communications strategy faltered and then nosedived with the appointment of the Presidency’s spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga. He was appointed to the Presidency last year.

Prior to his appointment Ratshitanga was the spokesman for the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) — the entity that manages more than R720bn on behalf of the Government Employees Pension Fund. In his role with the PIC, Ratshitanga was difficult and imperious. He acted like he was the CEO and stymied attempts to get information out of this huge fund manager. He took any criticisms of the PIC far too personally and at times hurled insults at pushy journalists. He was hell to deal with.

This behaviour appears to have carried on during his tenure with the Presidency and it seems to me that one of Mbeki’s mistakes this year has been allowing Ratshitanga to be the face of this vital organ of government.

Rightly or wrongly, the way the press perceives the Presidency is what makes it into the papers and what goes on to shape public opinion. And what we know of the public opinion of Mbeki right now is not great. At a business gathering last week I spoke to people from a range of local and international financial institutions and it was clear that it was the events of the past year (and the lack of succinct communications around them) that have swung the private sector’s opinion against Mbeki. Two years ago the public quite liked the guy but this year has been one public relations nightmare after another.

Whether or not a certain faction loves or hates journalists, the press is a key tool in any campaign. In a recent Vanity Fair article there was an analysis of Al Gore’s failed run for the US presidency. The article suggested that Gore and his communications people ignored the power of the press. Having been the vice-president, Gore and his team thought they didn’t have to work too hard to communicate his strengths. That was a big mistake. While George Bush was goofing around with reporters and playing on his down-home image, Gore kept himself aloof and his communications people went as far as to keep the press at arm’s length.

I’d suggest that this is what is happening here. With a president who is already thought of as distant and too academic, the nail in the coffin was the appointment of a spokesman who isn’t very good at speaking to people. This has been even further to the detriment of Mbeki because he’s up against a candidate (presidential hopeful Jacob Zuma) who is good at relating to most of the people, if not all of the people.

I’ll get flak for voicing these thoughts. It’s the way Ratshitanga operates. But if we’re supposedly living in a democracy where the freedom of speech is still a right to be cherished, then it’s time this issue was highlighted.

Unfortunately it would appear it’s too late for Mbeki to get himself a new spin doctor and sway public opinion, but after two terms in office he shouldn’t feel too hard done by. If Zuma were to be the next president we would already know he has a low regard for the media. But that’s not the point. As long as his communications people are able to engage the press and keep them close, then his previously tainted image will continue to be reworked and fashioned into something that many will find favourable.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=3081091**

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