SOUND MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
Protector with a steel backbone
Extraordinary Life: Thuli Madonsela
Thuli is an endangered species – a watchdog with sharp fangs. The Public Protector has been nominated as South Africa’s person of the year and is featured on Time magazine's 2014 list of the 100 Most Influential People In The World – not bad for someone whose parents were informal traders. Born in 1962, Madonsela grew up in Soweto and began her career as a teacher. In 1990, she obtained her LLB and in 1993 started her legal career, working for the Independent Electoral Commission and the Justice Department before being appointed as the Public Protector in 2012 – a move that set her on a collision course with the crooked and the corrupt.
Nominated by: Bongi Bangeni
Bongi Bangeni is a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town. She has a PhD in Education, specialising in applied linguistics. Her work is in academic development. She’s originally from the Eastern Cape. Bongi talks about how she would describe Thuli to her six-year-old daughter and what she would do if she were Public Protector for the day. Thuli, she says, is a powerful symbol of hope.
Expert: Judith February
Judith February is a senior analyst at the Institute for Security Studies and is an expert on good governance, transparency, and accountability. She talks aboutThuli’s backbone of steel and explains why most South Africans can’t name the other two public protectors and why they want Thuli to be the next president.
