/ 24 April 2014

Madonsela listed among Time’s 100 most influential people

The ANCYL says that the way Thuli Madonsela had handled the investigation into Nkandla compromised the outcome.
The ANCYL says that the way Thuli Madonsela had handled the investigation into Nkandla compromised the outcome.

Public protector Thuli Madonsela is features on the Time 100, Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Madonsela on Thursday welcomed the announcement and said she was humbled by the gesture. 

She said she was taken by surprise that the "modest efforts" of her office were not only being recognised at home but elsewhere in the world too.

Madonsela recently released her final report into security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. 

She found that Zuma and his family unduly benefited from the upgrades, totalling around R246-million, and said Zuma should pay back a portion of the cost.

"Like several other accolades that have been bestowed on me, my inclusion in the Time 100 list is not only a recognition of my contribution as an individual," she said, reacting to the announcement. "It is an acknowledgement of the selfless efforts of the public protector team at large." 

The public protector added that the team would continue to draw inspiration from the fact that its efforts to assist government to identify and eradicate maladministration do not go unnoticed.    

According to Time, the list which is now in its 11th year, recognises "the activism, innovation and achievement of the world's most influential individuals".  The magazine describes Time 100 as "a list of the most influential people in the world" and not a list of the most powerful or smartest people in the world.

These include scientists, thinkers, philosophers, leaders, icons, artists and visionaries, the magazine said, adding that these were people who were "using their ideas, their visions [and] their actions to transform the world and have an effect on a multitude of people".

The public protector, along with other persons selected to the list, has been invited to attend the Time 100 Gala in New York on April 29, where the list will be officially announced.