7 AUG 2026The women holding power to accountNkateko Joseph Mabasa5 min read

Women hold influential positions on the Madlanga commission of inquiry, established to investigate allegations of political interference, corruption and organised crime in the South African Police Service (SAPS). When about 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 to protest against apartheid’s pass laws, few professions reflected the equality they demanded. The legal profession, like the courts, remained overwhelmingly white and male.

Seventy years later, that landscape has changed remarkably. They are leading evidence, testing witnesses, interpreting constitutional questions and helping shape the public record of one of the country’s most significant inquiries. Their prominence reflects the transformation of South Africa’s legal profession and the growing role women play in public accountability.

As co-commissioner alongside retired Constitutional Court justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga and commissioner Sandile Khumalo, advocate Sesi Baloyi brings nearly three decades of legal experience to the inquiry. At the Madlanga commission, Baloyi has asked astute and inquisitive questions to witnesses which have shed light on the inner workings of the SAPS. As one of the commission’s evidence leaders, advocate Mahlape Sello SC has become one of its most recognisable figures, leading lengthy examinations of witnesses and navigating complex questions of criminal investigations and constitutional governance.

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Sello led evidence against Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department’s Julius Mkhwanazi, putting him under tough questioning and causing him to visibly sweat. She has caused many witnesses to sweat through her intense and unyielding scrutiny of legal procedure and mandated conduct. Called to the Bar in 2003, Sello has built a practice across commercial and public law while serving as an arbitrator with both the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa and the China-Africa Joint Arbitration Centre.

Her public service extends well beyond the commission. She has served on the South African Law Reform Commission, chaired the Advertising Standards Authority’s appeal committee and sat on the board of Life Healthcare.

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