An ode to outgoing public protector Thuli Madonsela
I salute a woman who inspires me and makes me want to be a better person, and sincerely hope she will find my Saturday Night Live/ Spitting Image style script funny
The outgoing Public Protector is a formal woman. Calm, quietly spoken, proper (in both senses of the word: real, “kosher” and also correct, official, conventional).She has, during her reign, insisted on being called Madam Public Protector — not because she’s officious, or a fan of standing on ceremony.Her view has been that hers is a role that is sacrosanct and that South Africans (her staff, her clients, the public) have to respect the office; the office, she believes, that is bigger than her, and will continue to function long after she’s left.Since her appointment in 2009, Thuli Madonsela has made the office of Public Protector august; it was the force of her quietude that brought honour to the post, made it distinguished and venerable. In her steadfast way, she has changed the lives of many; from solving rural disputes over land to bringing to book the man who holds the highest office in the land.Thuli Madonsela moves slowly; she talks softly and slowly, making her points conci...
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