Five people will compete to be South Africa’s first Integrity idol this month. Based on an international model, Integrity Idol South Africa aims to provide a platform to generate conversation in positive terms on role modeling accountability within the public service. Over a hundred nominations were received, and whittled down to the five finalists.
The five candidates are –
- Elizabeth Mkhondo, a nurse in Mamelodi.
- Vinny Pillay, a police officer at the Umhlali Police Station in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
- Deon Easu and Jocelin Flank, Firefighters and EMS responders at the Florida Fire Station in Johannesburg.
- Mirja Delport, a doctor at the Oudtshoorn District Hospital.
- Natascha Meisler, an educator at PT Combined School in the Free State.
- The five all work for the government in health, education or safety and security – and were selected using a stringent criteria, based on values aligned to Chapter 10.1 of the Constitution. An expert panel of respected South Africans had the daunting task of reducing the 100 plus list to the top 5.
The winning idol will have an opportunity to lead important reform processes in the country, working alongside Accountability Lab, the winner will assist in developing national policies to redesigning curricula for civil service training schools.
The South Africa’s first Integrity Idol will be announced at a public ceremony on 19 May at the Artscape in Johannesburg. Voting for the ceremony will commence on May 4 and end on May 18. The public can vote by SMS, WhatsApp and Web. Each Integrity Idol has been allocated a voting number:
- Elizabeth Mkhondo
- Vinny Pillay
- Deon Easu and Jocelin Flank
- Mirja Delport
- Natascha Meisler
SMS their number to 45736 (1 to 5) to or WhatsApp to 078 195 8385. Online voting
