Madonsela told an internal audit conference in Johannesburg yesterday that her presence at the meeting in Port Elizabeth last week was based on her constitutional duty to be accessible to the public.
“We meant to convey a message that we do not care who you are affiliated to, you will get our service because you are citizens and residents of South Africa.
” In future when women, workers, people with disabilities or any special interest group affiliated to or associated with political party invite me, must I decline?” she asked.
She said although the event was organised by the women’s wing of the opposition party, it was not a political event but a workshop on women’s constitutional rights and the availability of her office to exact the State’s accountability for delivery of those rights.
ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga criticised Madonsela’s “ill-considered” decision to attend the event where she “rubbed-shoulders” with DA leaders.
Motshekga said attending and giving keynote addresses at political events of political parties had the potential to compromise the basic constitutional principles of impartiality and independence which her office must uphold.
Madonsela however said the meeting was also part of her current National Stakeholder Consultative Dialogue and “an opportunity to reach out to some 700 ordinary women, mostly drawn from poverty stricken parts of Port Elizabeth and neighbouring areas”. – nhlabathih@sowetan.co.za
Ntebaleng
Thuli is so shallow, she attended a political rally and now she wants to justify her actions by claiming that the rally was public gathering of ordinary citizens. What she forgets is that public gathering are convened by the public or NGO which did not happen in this case. Thuli is a shallow BCM product who thinks that intelligent talk can help, she is just like her sister comrade Mamphela Ramphela.
What does she make of us and our intelligence, she went to that gathering to advance the interests of a political party and that cannot be said any differently. As a Public Ptotector Thuli has shown her political bias, political inclination and political leneage. I have always believed she is not fit to be Public Protector and by her naivity she has proved me right.
No amount of smart talk will remove the perception or diffuse it. She must do the honorable thing and resign.
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RobinH
She is a citizen of this country and is free to attend whatever rallies, movies, shows or whatever that she wants. I haven’t noticed anyone objecting to her attending ANC functions. Get real, you lousy hypocrites.
Ntebaleng: You talk of intelligence. May I ask where yours is demonstrated, as it certainly isn’t in your comment.
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Ntebaleng
@RobinH
Nonsence, her function requires her to be apolitical and that means she should not be seen to be advancing the interest of any political party. She should again not be seen to be addressing any political gathering as that can create a perception that would be damaging tothe image of her office.
What she votes for is her secrete and she cannot be held to ransom for that but her action should be above reproach, what Thuli did cannot be excused no matter how much she can try to explain it. In one of the cases she stopped short of saying that Cele had a relationship with Shabangu just because Shabangu attended Cele’s wedding and perhaps she aluded to that. So you smart ROBINH explain what perception her action in this regard creates.
It is common for some sectors of our society to create relationship of blacks especially African for the mere fact of their color but the same sector will always try to explain their relation as professional to try to side foot their action.
To me all whites, indians and coloreds – they attended same schools, lived in same surburbs ,swam in the same pools, braaid together and even inter- married but this sector will always say they do not know each other but for Africans you smile with somebody from KZN when you are from NW then you are related.Thuli has to own up and accept that she erred but trying to explain this will not help.
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Ntebaleng
@Damora
Lier….Mogoeng has never attended a rally of the ANC with JZ except for government functions , what Thuli attended was a gathering organised by an organization. Sex cannot be used as an excuse to justify that it was gathering of women. She made a keynote speech on the ticket of the DA , in a gathering of DA members, organised by the DA and paid for by the DA.
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Ntebaleng
@beautiful4
I ignored your response as you are actually saying nothing but just blowing a very bad smelling hot air, worse than the stench from Bruma Lake. Perhaps you can take that hot air sell or give it to Eskom for the generation of electricity .
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Article source: http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2012/08/14/public-protector-madonsela-unperturbed-by-criticism
