A domestic spat between former ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe and his wife escalated into a midnight standoff at a Johannesburg police station this month, with both threatening legal action.
Thi occurs as the couple remains under investigation for an R27 million waste‑removal tender.
According to reports, Mabe told officers at the Douglasdale police station that his wife, Elsie, had been “wandering the streets drunk” after the argument, leading him to request a protection order.
She later arrived at the station herself, threatening to lodge a domestic violence complaint against him, although no charges have been formally filed.
Elsie told a Sunday newspaper that the episode was a “storm in a teacup,” suggesting the couple’s stress over ongoing fraud and corruption charges linked to a R27 million tuk‑tuk waste‑removal tender may have contributed to the flare-up.
The legal case traces back to a 2017 contract awarded to Mabe’s company, Enviro Mobi, to supply 200 motorised three‑wheeled waste collection vehicles, known as tuk tuks, to the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Prosecutors allege irregularities in both the award and execution of the contract, including fraud, theft, and money laundering, with the matter postponed in court earlier this year.
Mabe and six co‑accused, including his wife, are out on bail and continue to deny wrongdoing. Lawyers for the defence have challenged elements of the case, while a preservation order has been placed on some of Mabe’s assets linked to the tender.
All seven accused are currently out on bail of R30 000 each.
The Star