Thuli Madonsela

Thulisile Nomkhosi "Thuli" Madonsela (born September 28, 1962 in Soweto ) is a South African lawyer and former Public Protector ( ombudswoman ; literally: "Public Protector") of South Africa.

Life

Thuli Madonsela grew up in Soweto. Her parents were traders, her mother also a domestic worker, social worker and midwife . She attended Evelyn Baring Secondary School in Nhlangano in Swaziland and worked temporarily as a teacher. She then studied law at the University of Swaziland and the University of the Witwatersrand . In 1990 she obtained a Bachelor of Law there . As a member of the African National Congress (ANC), she chaired the election commission for the first free election in South Africa in 1994 . Then she was one of the eleven experts who formulated the final version of the new South African constitution . In 2009 she was appointed Public Protector by the President of the Republic, Jacob Zuma . In this office, which is set out in the South African constitution of 1996, she should investigate and point out possible wrongdoing by members of the government or authorities. According to the constitution, it acted independently and could not be influenced by the government. The public protector's term of office is seven years; re-election is not permitted.

In 2011, Madonsela managed to uncover cases of corruption in the construction of police buildings. As a result, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service , Bheki Cele , was suspended and had to resign in 2012. In 2012 she showed in a report that the then ANC functionary and later chairman of the Economic Freedom Fighters had also been guilty of corruption. So far, however, there has been no charge. In 2014, Madonsela accused President Zuma of spending millions of rand on government costs for private purposes building his home in Nkandla . Zuma ignored her directive to repay the money, but the Constitutional Court of South Africa upheld Madonsela's position in 2016. In connection with this, it became known that several assassinations were planned on Madonsela. In September 2016, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who had previously worked in the Ministry of the Interior, was confirmed as her successor as Public Protector . Madonsela's term of office ended on October 14, 2016. She had previously submitted a final investigation report to Mkhwebane. This State of Capture Report deals, among other things, with the influence of the Gupta family on South African government policy. It was released on November 2, 2016.

Madonsela is a member of the South African Law Reform Commission (for example: "South African Commission for Legal Reforms") and heads the Law Trust in Social Justice at the University of Stellenbosch. She is a member of the ANC; membership was suspended during his tenure as Public Protector.

She raised her two children, a son and a daughter, alone.

Awards

• In 2011 Madonsela was named South African Person of the Year by the Daily Maverick .
• In 2012 Madonsela received the South African Women Award.
• 2013 she was awarded the University of Fort Hare , the honorary doctorate .
• Time magazine named Madonsela one of its 100 Most Influential Leaders in 2014.
• In 2014 she received the Transparency International Integrity Award in Berlin .
• In 2015 she received honorary doctorates from the University of Stellenbosch , Rhodes University and the University of Cape Town .
• In 2016 Madonsela was named Forbes African Person of the Year .
• In November 2016 she was awarded the German Africa Prize by the President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert in Berlin .
• In November 2018 she received the Federal Cross of Merit on a state visit from Frank-Walter Steinmeier .
• In May 2019 she received an honorary doctorate from North-West University .

literature

• Thandeka Gqubule: No longer whispering to power: the story of Thuli Madonsela. Jonathan Ball, Johannesburg 2017, ISBN 978-1-86842-731-4 .

Web links

• Madonsela on Who's Who South Africa (English; archive version from 2017)
• Thuli Madonsela at worldjusticeproject.org (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} portrait at sahistory.org.za (English), accessed on June 23, 2016.
2. ↑ What I've learned: Thuli Madonsela. timeslive.co.za, March 25, 2012, accessed June 23, 2016.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Madonsela at Who 's Who South Africa ( Memento from May 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
4. ↑ 21 people nominated for Public Protector position, including Madonsela. m.ewn.co.za of June 22, 2016 (English), accessed June 23, 2016.
5. ↑ Madonsela's report pins Malema down. mmegi.bw of October 12, 2012 (English), accessed on June 24, 2016.
6. ^ Security stepped up amid Thuli Madonsela death threats. m.ewn.co.za of May 9, 2016, accessed June 23, 2016.
7. ↑ Your job is to protect the people - Madonsela to her successor. news24.com from September 9, 2016, accessed on September 20, 2016.
8. ↑ Get the State Capture Report here. enca.com from November 2, 2016 (English), accessed on November 6, 2016.
9. ↑ Jarita Kassen: Madonsela launches campaign to end financial exclusion at universities. ewn.co.za on March 8, 2020, accessed March 9, 2020
10. ^ South African Person of the Year. dailymaverick.co.za, December 5, 2011, accessed June 23, 2016.
11. ↑ Acknowledgment at time.com of April 23, 2014 (English), accessed on September 1, 2016.
12. ↑ Madonsela wins Integrity Award. Mail & Guardian of October 17, 2014 (English), accessed June 25, 2016.
13. ↑ Public protector to get her fourth honorary laws degree. gov.za, accessed August 29, 2016.
14. ^ Thuli Madonsela is Forbes African person of the year. timeslive.co.za, November 18, 2016, accessed November 28, 2016.
15. ↑ citizen.co.za
16. ↑ Thuli Madonsela reveives honorary doctorate from North-West University. channel24.co.za from May 24, 2019 (English), accessed June 1, 2019