Slowly, methodically, thoughtfully, she reads out, word by word, punctuation by punctuation, her analysis of the past seven months.
Without pressure or prejudice, she takes her time to make certain her thought process, her reason for awaited final words, are clear. Knowing full well the overwhelming weight of her words, on her shoulders, and on the country, she focuses on what will most likely be her career’s most important and remembered moments. In her written words, she is also writing her history.
The thickness of silence of those watching in the courtroom, and the millions holding their breathe watching through televisions, tablets and other tech across the world, is deafening. Her judgement, her singularly determined sentencing, will have ripples across the lives of millions.
She is Judge Thokozile Masipa, “My Lady” to millions following one of 2014, and the sporting world’s, most high profile and heartbreaking cases.
Front and centre, the accused. A broken man, a shattered icon, a fallen star – Oscar Pistorius
Surrounding him, families whose lives have also been broken, one losing their daughter Reeva because of his actions….another losing their son Oscar, again because of his own actions. There have been countless casualties coming out of that tragic moment that early morning of Valentine’s Day 2013 – broken hearts, broken hopes, broken futures.
Still, with intense presence and grace she sits, up above the courtroom, concentrating on her words and the comprehension of same by those around her. Unswayed by the hectic media interest glued to her every breathe, the harrowing task of determining the fate of a now-fallen South African hero, and unprecedented high profile of the case, Judge Masipa found a centre ground between a complex array of extremes: celebrity and community, past fame and future pain, lost and losing, hurt and healing. Remarkably, a centre ground accepted as justice servedby the families on both sides of the spectrum.
So many things could have gone wrong. So many accusations could have been made. So many concerns were voiced upfront as the trial began. Racism. Celebrity. Favour. Unfairness.
And yet now, as the nation and world look forward, with Oscar Pistorius serving the beginnings of his 5year jail sentence, the sadness of a role model now jailed is lessened by the reality of a new role model who has emerged for the nation to embrace as a source of pride, inspiration and identity: Judge Masipa.
With her own remarkable story of faith, vision and determination, she too has become reason to believe in South Africa as a place of miracles, making the impossible possible, as captured in CNN’s profile of her life, http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/09/10/pkg-curnow-judge-profile.cnn.html
As one star burns out, another rises and shines brightly.
And as the first anniversary of President Mandela’s passing nears, in Judge Masipa the signs are strong that his legacy is still, thankfully, alive.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2014