Pule Mabe charging accuser is ‘a desperate act of bullying’

'This seems like a way to distract attention or cast doubt, but if anything, it only casts doubt on his version of the story and not hers,' a gender rights expert says.

ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe. Picture: Twitter/@MYANC

Former ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe’s move to lay a criminal charge against his sexual abuse accuser is “a desperate act of intimidation and bullying”, an expert says.

Mabe was accused of sexual harassment by his 26-year-old former personal assistant Kgwerano Kekana.

It came to light in December when Kekana sent a letter of grievance to ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte, alleging Mabe wanted Kekana to have sex with him in return for her getting the job. She claimed she was hired without an interview or relevant skills and that her salary was reduced when she rejected his sexual advances.

An ANC grievance panel found no evidence against Mabe and he was allowed to return to work.

Yesterday, Mabe confirmed he had opened a criminal case at the Sandton police station against Kekana for the misrepresentation of qualifications on her resume. He said he was notified that it was transferred to the Johannesburg Central Police Station.

Gender rights expert Lisa Vetten said the charges would not have an effect on the antigender-based violence movement and that his actions were just a display of the “lengths people would go to intimidate others into silence”.

She said if one looked at the context in which the criminal case was laid by Mabe, one could see it was an attempt to distract from the previous sexual allegations and cast doubt or suspicion on Kekana’s story.

“It seems like a desperate act of intimidation and bullying. It raises questions about why these developments are only brought up long after Kekana laid her charges.

“The workplace tribunal was the more appropriate place for him to deal with the issues and not a criminal tribunal.”

Vetten said it was important to understand that the cases were totally unrelated and even if the charges were proven to be true, it did not mean Kekana was not sexually assaulted. She said there was still a possibility that Kekana was blackmailed to give sexual favours for the job position.

“This seems like a way to distract attention or cast doubt, but if anything, it only casts doubt on his version of the story and not hers,” Vetten said.

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