Celebrating women champions in the fight against institutional decay

As South Africa observes the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, we are inundated with speeches, hashtags, and public promises.

But this year, something more profound unfolded in plain sight—not another declaration of intent, but a demonstration of courage under fire.

Two women, inside a tense and politically charged process, reminded the country what principled leadership looks like. I am speaking of Advocate Sello and Commissioner Baloyi of the Madlanga Commission. In a democracy rattled by violence against whistleblowers, collapsing institutions, and political interference masquerading as "administration," their presence was a quiet but powerful counterweight.

They offered South Africans something we desperately needed: proof that integrity still survives in the state's most remote corners. Let's be honest. The environment they stepped into was not neutral. It was pressured, polarised, and carrying the weight of decisions that could alter the trajectory of public trust. The Madlanga Commission was not just a legal process; it was a battlefield of narratives, evasions, and strategic amnesia.

Many arrived to protect themselves. These two women arrived to do their jobs. Advocate Sello showed the country what it looks like when preparation meets moral conviction. She asked questions with the precision of a surgeon cutting through complication, refusing to be distracted by political smokescreens or the sudden fogginess of those testifying. Her work was not loud; it was disciplined.

The kind of discipline that unsettles people accustomed to getting away with half answers. Commissioner Baloyi complemented that quiet strength with disarming clarity. She cut straight through the fluff. When she raised a point, it was not for theatrics or the transcript; it was for truth. In a space where some treated accountability like a suggestion, she treated it like a sacred obligation. Together, they became a reminder that courage is not always dramatic.

Sometimes it is the simple act of refusing to stand your ground when everyone expects you to look away. The timing of their courage could not be more symbolic.

While we mourn whistleblowers silenced, some killed in front of their own children, while we watch institutions wobble under political pressure, while leaders dodge answers, hoping the public is too exhausted to notice, Advocate Sello and Commissioner Baloyi walked into the fire and did the work. This is precisely why they deserve recognition during the 16 Days of Activism.

We often speak of"women leaders," but rarely do we honour women who lead with integrity when systems around them are crumbling. Women who do not rely on titles to project power, because their power comes from conviction. Women who prove that professionalism is not gendered, but the courage to demonstrate it in hostile environments often is.

During these 16 days, as we confront gender-based violence and reflect on the systemic forces that enable harm, let us also honour women who push back against a different kind of violence: the violence of silence, of complicity, of institutional decay.

This violence may not leave physical scars, but it kills democracies. It erodes trust. It convinces citizens that fighting for accountability is futile.

Advocate Sello and Commissioner Baloyi rejected that narrative. In a country where institutions are slowly losing the public's faith, they offered something extraordinary: credibility.

They reminded us that accountability is still possible, but only if people in key positions stand up for it, even when the cost is high, and the cheering is absent. Their contribution was not just to the Madlanga Commission.

It was to South Africa's fragile democracy, to the public's yearning for honesty, and to the principle that truth does not need an army to defend it, just people brave enough to speak it.In a time of national uncertainty, two women gave us reason to believe again.

They stood tall when the system trembled. They showed us that courage without fanfare is the most powerful kind.

And they proved that even when institutions falter, individuals can hold the line. That is a legacy worth celebrating not just during these 16 days, but every day we choose truth over expediency, integrity over comfort, and courage over silence.

Nyaniso Qwesha Master of Business Administration graduate