Thuli Madonsela is actually called, Thulisile Nomkhosi Madonsela.
She is a South African advocate, and a Professor of law, holding a chair in Social Justice
at Stellenbosch University since January 2018.
She served as the Public Protector of South Africa from 19 October 2009, to 14 October
2016.
In 1996, she helped draft the final Constitution of South Africa, which was promulgated by
the then President Nelson Mandela.
In this video, we shall take a close look at the real woman behind the name Thuli Madonsela.
Please do not go away.
Thuli Madonsela was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday 28 September 1962.
She is currently 56 years.
She was born to Bafana and Nomasonto, informal traders, and grew up in Soweto.
Madonsela attended Evelyn Baring High School, in Nhlangano, Swaziland, from where her family
originates.
She graduated with a BA in Law from the University of Swaziland in 1987, and an LLB from the
University of the Witwatersrand in 1990.
On 26 March 2015, Thuli Madonsela was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree, from the University
of Stellenbosch.
She was further awarded another Doctor of Laws degree, from the University of Cape Town;
and the award ceremony took place at Jameson Hall, on 11 June 2015.
She also has an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University, and the University of Fort Hare.
As a mother, Madonsela raised her two children, a boy and a girl, as a single parent.
Her husband died when the children were very young.
In late July 2018, it was revealed, that Madonsela was engaged to Dick Foxton, a public relations
consultant.
In 1980, Madonsela began her career, as an assistant teacher at her former school, Evelyn
Baring High School, in Swaziland.
In 1982, she became an assistant teacher at Naledi High School in Soweto.
Apparently, Naledi High School was one of the schools at the centre of the 1976 Soweto
Uprising.
Madonsela was, until 2007, an ordinary member of the Pretoria branch of the African National
Congress.
During the apartheid era, she served in the ANC, and the United Democratic Front anti-apartheid
organisation.
She believes that holding political office would not be her "best contribution as a human
being".
In 1994 she declined the position of ANC MP, in South Africa's first post-apartheid Parliament.
In January 2014, it was reported, that several ANC branches in Gauteng, had unsuccessfully
nominated her as a candidate, to represent the ANC in the National Assembly, or one of
the provincial legislatures in the 2014 general election.
Her spokesperson said she was unaware of the nomination, and would not have accepted it.
Madonsela worked for trade unions, and in both the public and private sectors in the
1980s.
She was a member of the team, which drafted the final Constitution of South Africa, which
was promulgated by the then President Nelson Mandela, in 1996.
After Mandela's death, Madonsela said in a tribute to him: "We will always admire him,
for gladly submitting his administration to the scrutiny of checks and balances, such
as the courts and institutions supporting democracy, when its actions came into question".
Prior to her appointment as Public Protector, Madonsela served as a full-time member of
the South African Law Reform Commission, appointed to the position in 2007 by the then President
Thabo Mbeki.
Madonsela was appointed Public Protector by President Jacob Zuma, for a non-renewable
seven-year term, commencing 19 October 2009, with unanimous support from the multi-party
National Assembly.
At the announcement of her appointment, Zuma said Madonsela "will need to ensure, that
this office continues to be accessible to ordinary citizens, and undertakes its work
without fear or favour".
Madonsela likens her role, as Public Protector, to the Venda chief's paternal aunt, known
as the makhadzi, a non-political figure, who "gives the people a voice, while giving the
traditional leader a conscience".
In 2012, she investigated "kickbacks" received by Julius Malema, in the context of traffic
department contracts given to external contractor, On-Point Engineering.
As Public Protector, Madonsela investigated complaints regarding public spending, on Zuma's
private homestead in the KwaZulu-Natal town of Nkandla.
Her final report on security upgrades to Zuma's homestead, titled, Secure in Comfort, was
published on 19 March 2014.
Madonsela found, that Zuma had benefited unduly, from the 246 million rand the state had spent
on the upgrades.
Opposition parties, Economic Freedom Fighters and Democratic Alliance, approached the Constitutional
Court, to enforce Madonsela's findings after they were ignored by Zuma, and dismissed in
Parliament.
On 31 March 2016, the Constitutional Court delivered a unanimous judgement, stating that
the Public Protector's report was binding, and that Zuma and the National Assembly failed
to uphold the country's constitution.
The court ordered National Treasury to determine the amount, that Zuma must pay back, and ordered
Zuma to do so within 45 days of the court's approval of the National Treasury report.
Her final report, "State of Capture", was released as her 7-year term of office came
to an end in October 2016.
Her report was a result of the complaint submitted by a Catholic priest, called Father Stanislaus
Muyebe.
The report catalogued evidence of widespread state capture, including the Gupta family's
improper influence over President Jacob Zuma.
Madonsela directed the President to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry, headed by
a judge, named by the Chief Justice.
Zuma called the report "political propaganda", and challenged it in court, but the High Court
dismissed the challenge in December 2017, finding that Zuma must implement the remedial
actions within 30 days, and making a personal costs order against Zuma.
So far, Thuli Madonsela has received a number of awards from local and international institutions,
and they are as follows.
South African Person of the Year for "serving her role, as an ombudsman to the exercise
of executive power, with unwavering commitment to truth".
Awarded by Daily Maverick in 2011.
Time magazine named her, as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, in the
Leaders category, and described her as "an inspirational example of what African public
officers need to be".
Award was conferred in 2014.
Glamour Women of the Year awards, named Woman of Courage, 2014.
ANN7 South African of the Year, 2014.
Transparency International Integrity Award, 2014.
Doctor of Laws, University of Fort Hare, 2013.
Doctor of Laws, Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University, and University of Cape Town, 2015.
FW de Klerk Goodwill Award, 2016.
Forbes African Person of the year, 2016.
Chosen as one of the BBC's 100 Women, 2016.
German Africa Prize, 2016.
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2018.
Please check in the description box below, for the links to the sources of this report.
Thanks for watching.
Please comment, like, share and subscribe.