Madlanga Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga on Tuesday peeled back the curtain on the often unforgiving world of social media, telling a witness before the Section 84 presidential fact-finding body that trying to please online critics was a losing battle.
The exchange unfolded after Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy asked to explain why she occasionally smiled and laughed during her emotionally charged testimony last week – behaviour that drew criticism from politically polarised social media users.
Before she could speak, Madlanga revealed that he had initially wanted to spare her the explanation altogether.
“I’m being overruled. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to explain yourself,” he said, referring to fellow commissioners Advocates Sesi Baloyi and Sandile Khumalo.
‘If you were to care, you’ll go mad’
Madlanga then shared his own experience of being scrutinised in the digital public square.
“I’m not on social media, but people do share what’s out there with me and sometimes I’ll be curious and scroll down and not look only at what was sent to me, and sometimes I see nasty things said about me,” he said.
“I don’t care. If you were to care about all the time, you’ll go mad.”
The remarks appeared to lift a weight off Ramsamy’s shoulders as she explained that her demeanour had been misunderstood.
“I’ve reached a point emotionally where I would rather smile or laugh at the circumstances, as serious as it is, than cry,” she told the commission.
“I don’t want to seem like I’m a victim when I’m crying while I’m trying to assist the commission in their findings. It has been a very tough road and I’m choosing not to be emotional. Please forgive me.”
Ramsamy dismissed claims of being vindictive
Ramsamy said the criticism online suggested she had taken pleasure in the downfall of former Idac head Advocate Andrea Johnson, an allegation she firmly rejected.
“The comments were that I was being vindictive and I was enjoying the downfall, but I was not,” she said.
Madlanga, who has presided over weeks of often explosive testimony into allegations of misconduct within the criminal justice system, offered the prosecutor a final piece of advice drawn from his own experience.
“What I’ll say to you is that with comments on social media, my sense is that you can never win,” he said.
“Even where preponderantly comments are positive, there will be the few negative comments. If you let those get to you, you will be in trouble.”
Human cost of public proceedings
The brief but candid exchange offered a rare glimpse into the human cost of the commission’s highly public proceedings, which have unfolded under the constant glare of live broadcasts and relentless social media commentary, with witnesses and commissioners alike finding themselves judged in real time by thousands of online spectators.
Read More: Working under Johnson drove Idac staff to therapy, commission hears
- Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga advised a witness before the Section 84 presidential commission that trying to please social media critics is futile and can be emotionally damaging.
- The witness, Idac prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy, was criticized online for smiling and laughing during her serious testimony, which she explained as a coping mechanism rather than victimhood or vindictiveness.
- Madlanga shared his own experience of encountering negative social media comments but emphasized not caring about them to maintain sanity.
- Ramsamy denied allegations that she took pleasure in the downfall of former Idac head Advocate Andrea Johnson, calling the accusations unfounded.
- The exchange highlighted the emotional toll on individuals involved in publicly scrutinized legal proceedings under intense media and social media exposure.
Before she could speak,
"I'm being overruled. Personally, I don't think it's necessary for you to explain yourself," he said, referring to fellow commissioners Advocates Sesi Baloyi and
"I'm not on social media, but people do share what's out there with me and sometimes I'll be curious and scroll down and not look only at what was sent to me, and sometimes I see nasty things said about me," he said.
"I don't care. If you were to care about all the time, you'll go mad."
"I've reached a point emotionally where I would rather smile or laugh at the circumstances, as serious as it is, than cry," she told the commission.
"I don't want to seem like I'm a victim when I'm crying while I'm trying to assist the commission in their findings. It has been a very tough road and I'm choosing not to be emotional. Please forgive me."
Ramsamy said the criticism online suggested she had taken pleasure in the downfall of former Idac head Advocate
"
"What I'll say to you is that with comments on social media, my sense is that you can never win," he said.
"Even where preponderantly comments are positive, there will be the few negative comments. If you let those get to you, you will be in trouble."
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