Public Protector Thuli Mandonsela on Wednesday told hundreds of school girls to find their sense of purpose in life.
Madonsela says that “we are all packaged differently, but we are here on earth for a purpose”.
“When storms come one thing that will keep you going is a sense of purpose,” Madonsela told Aurora Girls High school pupils in her hometown of Soweto.
August marks Women’s Month in South Africa and her talk forms part of initiatives aimed at helping to empower women.
She says it’s vital for women not to compete with each other but with themselves in order to better their lives. “It does not mean that you don’t learn from other people who have walked the path before.”
Madonsela, who is former assistant teacher, insisted that once you find your purpose it does not mean you have to be proud and look down on other people.
She also says that the power of love plays a crucial role in propelling an individual to do and be great. She says that the woman who led the march against apartheid law to the Union Building did not have the resources that we have, such as social media, but they were motivated by the love of seeing other people living in freedom.
She says her source of inspiration is those women. “We are celebrating this month because of the courageous women who fought against (the apartheid) injustice.”
The pupils were then given a chance to ask the Public Protector some questions. Some of the questions ranged from: What inspired her to study law? How does she feel about women who sleep their way to the top? What inspires her on a daily basis?
It is important for women not to lose their dignity by sleeping their way to the top
On women who sleep their way to the top, Madonsela says it is important for women not to lose their dignity by sleeping their way to the top. She says women must work hard in order for them to make a change in the world.
She told the girls that she studied law because her mother encouraged her to further her education and that she wanted ordinary people to have access to justice. She says her inspiration comes from her team, her family and she meditates a lot.
The school’s LRC president, Nosipho Mthembu, says her community needs people like Madonsela to motivate them. The 18-year-old matric pupil says she wants to become a lawyer one day so she can also help her community have access to the justice system.
Meanwhile, Madonsela has donated R30 000 towards the plans of building a school hall for the girls but she quickly quipped that the money does not come from her department’s funds but comes from the R100 000 prize she received from being named the Times person of the year.
She says her winning is being donated to schools and Autism causes. It was recently reported that they were running out of money in her department and were seeking additional funding from government She says also in the spirit of Madiba her staff is contributing R67.00 each. They will use the money for worthy causes.
She also went on Twitter to ask people to donate funds to the Aurora school.
– By Palesa Kobedi
