TIME magazine’s 2016 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Now in its 13th year‚ the list recognises the activism‚ innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals.|
South Africa is honoured to have two individuals listed – our fearless public advocate Thuli Madonsela and boundary-pushing paleoanthropologist Lee Berger.
”Thuli Madonsela is an inspirational example of what African public officers need to be. Her work on constitutional reform, land reform and the struggle for the protection of human rights and equality speaks for itself. As South Africa’s public protector, with her ability to speak truth to power and to address corruption in high places, Madonsela has been outstanding”.
”To speak about corruption in high places is often subversive and always embarrassing. The machinery of state can be called upon to intimidate or even destroy and eliminate whistle-blowers. It therefore requires extraordinary courage and patriotism to do what Thuli Madonsela has done. Yet in standing up for the truth as she sees it, she has assured herself a place in the history of modern South Africa and among the tiny but growing band of African public servants giving us hope for the future of our continent”.
Motivated by Sanusi, who was governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2009 to 2014
Professor Lee Berger‚ renowned for his discovery of Homo naledi and Australopithecus sediba‚ is an award-winning paleoanthropologist‚ researcher‚ explorer‚ author and speaker from the Evolutionary Studies Institute at University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
His explorations into human origins in Africa over the past two-and-a-half decades have resulted in many new and notable discoveries‚ including the most complete early hominin fossils found so far‚ which belong to a new species of early human ancestor‚ Australopithecus sediba and‚ in 2013‚ the richest early hominin site yet found on in Africa and a new species of human relative‚ Homo Naledi‚ announced in 2015.
Berger said his inclusion is .. ”a tribute to the world-class and influential science being produced on the African continent by African scientists and African institutions”.
Acknowledgement TMG Digital and Daily Maverick’s image from the article: Thuli Madonsela and the ghosts of Zuma’s past, present and future by Greg Nicolson