Hambe kahle chief

THE sad demise of Ronnie Mamoepa is a real blow to his professional brand of government communications.

His boss, deputy president and second in line in the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa described the former Robben Island political prisoner and top spokesperson as one of the best communicators in the democratic government since 1994, saying he was honest, engaging and a professional communicator, not a spin doctor.

He was a spokesperson who had integrity, knowledge on many issues, as well as a wicked sense of humour.

Mamoepa was a rare figure in communications who was multilingual and could tell the same story in four languages – including Afrikaans. He is major loss to journalists and the media fraternity. His untimely death at 56 also focuses on the stress, trauma, deadlines, damage control and crisis politics.

The current crop of government communicators can only enhance their job descriptions by learning from the ace practitioner of communications – if not using Mamoepa as a case study – “The Life and Times of a Visionary Government Communicator”.

Hambe kahle, chief, rest in peace in the great blue skies where iconic leaders reside. For 25 years of service delivery, the man from Centurion deserves a provincial state funeral amid the dipped flags of the ANC. Media strategist and researcher, KwaZulu-Natal