Durban - Former public protector Thuli Madonsela on Monday night maintained that she had done her best under the circumstances with her State of Capture report.
“I know that I have done the best I could with this report as a human being, but I also had no illusions as we completed this report,” Madonsela said at the Durban City Hall last night.
She was in the city to receive the Mahatma Gandhi Satyagraha Award, along with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and others, in recognition of their contributions in the quest for human rights and social justice.
Other recipients were Dr Bernard LaFayette, Dr Richard Albert David Turner, Prof Jairam Reddy, Shaka Sisulu and Judge Albie Sachs.
“I knew that there would be people who would be happy; (because the report) shed some light on very difficult issues.
“I knew there are those who felt these should have been investigated upfront to make sure who was lying and who was not lying,” Madonsela said.
“I also knew that there were those who did not want the truth to come to light and they would be angry with me.
“There is nothing I can do about it,” she said.
The Pretoria High Court last week ordered the release of the State of Capture report after President Jacob Zuma withdrew his application to interdict it amid claims that he had not had the opportunity to respond to the probe, which started in March.
In her report, Madonsela gave Zuma 30 days to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry headed by a judge appointed by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to look into “observations” she noted in her investigation.
She also ordered that her successor, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, refer to the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks those matters identified as crimes that head been committed.
Madonsela launched an inquiry into whether Zuma allowed the Gupta family and Zuma’s son to influence the appointment of cabinet ministers and board members of state-owned entities and whether he turned a blind eye to attempts to influence the awarding of contracts to Gupta businesses.
Madonsela said she did not want to play a role within the ruling party.
“I was a member of the ANC and left it in 2007, not because I had any bad feelings about the ANC, but professionally I felt I needed to distance myself from a political party.
“I’m in that state. I can assist all political parties if they need my advice, but otherwise I am taking a holiday for the next 13 months or so, and in 2018, as you know, I will be working for a university,” Madonsela said.
Commenting on the award, Madonsela said she could not express the honour she felt and humility she experienced at being associated with Gandhi.
“This is a person we grew up admiring, not only for standing up against injustice, but because he transcended hate, he transcended resentment,” she said.
“And he started a movement that taught the world that even if you have been a victim of injustice, you can transcend that and be an agent of change and be an agent of a better world.
“It is a time when we are going through a very turbulent country and very turbulent world.
“It is a time we need to reflect as humanity regarding what road brought us here and what the alternative that we could take towards that road where we can all be happy, where there can be friendship, where we could embrace each other regardless of race gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation,” she said.
Madonsela praised the staff at the Public Protectors Office, who intervened to protect people from excessive exercise of state power.
In his message played on recorded video, Gordhan spoke about the principle of ethical behaviour that was required to ensure our future was not betrayed.
He also spoke about righteousness, sacrifice, balancing personal and national interests as well as the need to avoid being swarmed with greed.
“Today, greed is the biggest driver of accumulation of wealth throughout the world,” he said.
Daily News