Wednesday, August 29, 2018

No Longer Whispering to Power: The Story of Thuli Madonsela Paperback – April 26, 2017 by Thandeka Gqubule (Jonathan Ball Publishers )



Out of Alan Paton's prophetic words "Cry the beloved country" has arisen a unique diamond shaped by the social and political cauldron that is South Africa. Certain of ..Thusi Madonsela's character and traits remind me of Margaret Thatcher. "For corruption to succeed, all it requires is for one man to do nothing". Thankfully 's Madonsela does not fit this mold but reflects the moral compass set by Nelson Mandela.. This is a wonderful book  about the life of a very brave woman. So sad that the very institution that appointed the Public Protector would do everything in its powers to destroy it. That is the legacy of the power hungry illiterate State President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. This raw wound needs healing. Education comes before civic action and political activism, I just hope the Youth of SA is given this opportunity ; to heal the raw wounds if society. A monumental work by Thanked globules.

Advocate Thuli Madonsela has achieved in her seven years as Public Protector what few accomplish in a lifetime; her legacy and contribution cannot be over-stated. In her final days in office she compiled the explosive State Capture report and, before that, the report on President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla residence. Praised and vilified in equal measures, Madonsela has frequently found herself at centre stage in the increasingly fractious South African political scene.

Yet, despite the intense media scrutiny, Madonsela remains something of an enigma. Who is this soft-spoken woman who stood up to state corruption? Where did she develop her views and resolve? This book attempts to answer these questions, and others, by exploring many aspects of Madonsela's life: her childhood years and family, her involvement in student politics, her contribution to the constitution, her life in law.

Madonsela once described her role as Public Protector as being akin to that of the Venda traditional spiritual female leader, the Makhadzi, who whispers truth to the ruler. When the sounds of the exchanges between the ruler and the Makhadzi grow loud, Madonsela said, that is when the whispering has failed.

No Longer Whispering to Power is about Thuli Madonsela's tenure as Public Protector, during which the whisper grew into a cry. It is the story of the South African people's attempt to hold power to account through the Office of the Public Protector. More significantly, this important book stands as a record of the crucial work

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