If you were dazzled by Dr Makhosi Khoza's grilling of Faith Muthambi during the SABC inquiry on Wednesday, you were not alone.
The African National Congress MP earned herself an unexpected fan club during her no-holds-barred questioning of the beleaguered communications minister on day seven of the 11-day hearing. She emerged as one of the favourites among an already popular group of MPs from across political parties. Law makers in Parliament's ad hoc committee looking into the fitness of the SABC board are uniquely united in their determination to hold the eternally ailing public broadcaster to account.
Khoza's expressions of complete disbelief captured the feeling among many South Africans listening to Muthambi's easy evasions during her testimony on Wednesday.
An ordinary MP at present, Khoza serves on the parliamentary standing committee on finance, and is a former chairperson of the standing committee on public accounts and finance (SCOPA) in KwaZulu-Natal. According to the People's Assembly, she has over 20 years of collective experience at both public and private sector institutions.
This is not the first time Khoza has earned kudos for her work in parliament. In August this year she chaired the ad hoc committee that dealt with the sensitive matter of interviewing the then new public protector. She made it clear from the start that she would not be taking instructions from the ruling party. "Obviously, I am a member of the ANC. But in as far as this process is concerned; Luthuli House has not contacted me. Or directed me to speak to anybody whatsoever," she said at the time.
Dr Makhosi Khoza, presided in a most impressive and calm fashion, fair but firm to all candidates.
She said her job was to preside over the process and would not make the final decision. "Investigate me... I am not a pushover," she said. It wasn't just talk. The Mail & Guardian's longserving authoritative legal correspondent, going by the nom de plume Serjeant at the Bar, applauded the committee she chaired as "arguably the first time in 20 years a subcommittee of the legislature did its job without fear or favour".
He was particularly impressed with Khoza's handling of the proceedings. "The chair, Dr Makhosi Khoza, presided in a most impressive and calm fashion, fair but firm to all candidates. Unfazed by the interventions of the hugely skilled Floyd Shivambu, she conducted proceedings in a manner that speaker Baleka Mbete is simply unable to emulate."
Khoza has proven the consistency of Zulu with mathematical formulas and science principles.
There's another reasons Khoza is "leadership goals", as one tweet put it. She is also passionate about indigenous languages, particularly isiZulu, and has done some impressive work in the area. "Her recent achievements include ground-breaking research culminating in a textbook that unpacks the logic and sophistication of indigenous languages," the People's Assembly further reported. It is a subject she has written about herself.
"Khoza has proven the consistency of isiZulu with mathematical formulas and science principles. She has since created a language order called UZALO [Ubuntu Zulu Alphabetical Logic Order] comprising of a 12-noun cluster system which drives the construction of meaningful sentences."
She earned her doctorate in administration, in addition to a master's degree in social science (policy and development studies), and is a fellow at the Aspen Global Leadership Institute. Khoza is currently studying towards a master's degree in finance at the University of London, the site reported.
Goals indeed.