Thuli Madonsela this week finally stepped down after seven tumultuous years as public protector, and it will be remiss of us not to acknowledge a job well done. She has been a model public servant, humble and without airs.The best compliment we can pay her is just that: she did a good job - no frills, no bravado. In following the letter and spirit of her task, she made a difference. A huge difference. The highest office in the land can attest to that.The remarkable thing about Thuli is that she went about her job in an unremarkable fashion. There was nothing flashy or bombastic or shouting from the rooftops. The word that best describes her, I think, is "undemonstrative".story_article_left1She didn't wander around looking for headlines. She spoke softly and rarely, and her words were lapped up like gold each time. They were never in vain, never wasted. Speak softly and carry a big stick is a cliché that seems as though it was coined for her. And she did wield a big stick, with devastating effect.There's no doubt that without the tireless work of her office, corruption could have been far worse. With most state institutions politically compromised, incompetent or mired in controversy or corruption, hers remained the only beacon of hope for most South Africans.It is an indictment of society, or an indication of how far we've fallen, that somebody is viewed as an exception merely for doing her job faithfully, and without fear or favour.She did her job with courage, persistence and unfailing courtesy in the face of unremitting, crude and misogynistic attacks and ridicule from powerful forces that saw her as a fly in the ointment.And, of course, she was a woman, a fact that we tend to overlook, in a still largely man's world.I'm sure Thuli wouldn't have copped as must criticism if she were a man. She was a woman and therefore an interloper, interfering in areas which should be none of her business.And so she was disparaged for her looks, her hair and the way she dressed. She was a CIA spy too.They threw everything at her, and she's still standing. She had a simple way to deal with her critics. The best rebuke was to ignore them, which seemed to incense them even more. Entertaining such criticism was like mud-wrestling with pigs. Often people won't tell the difference.Like the good lawyer she is, she was only interested in the evidence and she went where it took her.Politics often makes for odd bedfellows, but it also antagonises people who ought to belong together. The ANC Women's League, for instance, which should in reality be celebrating Thuli's achievements, is instead her most vocal critic because of its filialness to President Jacob Zuma.Thuli came to the job almost unnoticed, and even her sponsors didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Having made her mark on the political firmament, she's going out in a blaze of glory, with Zuma serenading her, so to speak.story_article_right2If her investigation into the obscenity that is Nkandla established her tenacity and the invaluable role of her office, her report on state capture and Zuma's determination to keep it under wraps is a fitting swansong.There will be many lessons to be learnt from the manner in which she did her job, including her missteps.The only criticism is perhaps that she took on more than she could chew; she had too much on her plate. Her office was often overwhelmed and always in need of more resources. That gave her critics, especially ANC MPs, an excuse to control or restrain her by denying her the money she needed to do the job. She could also have cut down on those speeches. Some of them seemed needless and got in the way. They were welcome fodder to her many vocal enemies.The fact that people like Thuli, the judiciary and other Chapter 9 institutions are often overloaded with work suggests that our democracy is not as sound as it should be. It means we're running to these bodies for protection from the very politicians who are supposed to look after our interests.The manner in which such an appointment is made could also be reviewed. There's perhaps a case for the judiciary to be involved in the process. Parliament or the presidency cannot always be trusted to do the right thing. The National Prosecuting Authority, for instance, is the latest example where Zuma has happily plonked one of his poodles, with dire consequences for the country.And so Thuli, the quiet one, is giving way to Busi, the blessed one. Busisiwe Mkhwebane is inheriting massive shoes, akin to Thabo Mbeki taking over from Nelson Mandela. She should not attempt to be Thuli Madonsela. She dare not falter either. Society now know what it expects from its public protector.She will be watched like a hawk by a sceptical public that now knows what it expects from its public protector...