‘We are becoming more brutal than animals’: Thuli Madonsela

Thuli Madonsela took a moment to reflect on the brutality of the world we live in during an alumni networking event at Wits University on Tuesday.

Madonsela said we were living in "paradoxical times".

"On the one hand‚ we're the most advanced species on the earth‚ but on the other hand we are becoming more brutal than animals‚" she said.

"How many young girls have been killed in the last few days? How many have been kidnapped?" Madonsela said.

"And not just killed‚ killed in the most brutal way imaginable. I think the story of Karabo touched everyone‚ somebody killing them because you say you don’t love them anymore‚ and the burning like you are an animal. So that is the world we live in‚" she said.

However‚ despite reflecting on the brutality women faced in South Africa‚ Madonsela also pointed out that the world was still good in some places.

• Watch: 'Hands off our bodies' protestors occupy Nelson Mandela BridgeMembers of the South African Students Congress occupy the Nelson Mandela Bridge in the call for men to keep their hands off of women's bodies.

She was voted as one of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2014‚ and believes she got where she managed to get to through the generosity of human beings.

"What world do we live in today? If we want peace‚ we must ensure that democracy fosters the free potential and improved quality of life and justice for all with none left behind‚" she said.

"As long as there is injustice somewhere‚ there can’t BE sustainable peace anywhere‚" Madonsela said.

• WATCH: Women abusers should be pursued in the same way as ‘papgeld’ fathers: MbalulaPolice minister Fikile Mbalula has spoken out about how he watched his own sister being abused and warning the perpetrators that he would come after them.

The former public protector also talked about the failures of governance and societal issues including polarisation.

"We are having growing governance failure‚ including systemic service failure and corruption‚ we are having growing societal polarisation‚ Coligny is one of those examples. It's not just here in South Africa‚ it is all over the world‚" she said.

Madonsela further said there were growing "unhealthy levels of civil apathy"‚ where people would rather take the law into their own hands instead of going through the right channels.

Despite this‚ Madonsela remained optimistic.

• Mbalula visits the country’s murder capitalA day after Police Minister Fikile Mbalula presented his budget vote in Parliament he visited the country's murder capital‚ Cape Town’s Nyanga township.

“The South Africa of our dreams is in our hands. This [what we are currently experiencing] is not the South Africa of our dreams. What is unfolding is South Africa derailed. Whatever we do‚ let’s make sure that we do it with integrity. It is important that we restore justice in the world and ensure social justice. We must find a way to bridge the gap of inequality and poverty.”

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE