Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is purportedly living in fear after being tipped off about an alleged plot to kill her, the Sunday Times has reported.

The paper wrote that Madonsela had been made aware of the attempt on her life, which had been planned to look like a car accident.

The alleged hit was supposedly funded to the tune of R740 000 by a Western Cape gangster, and Madonsela was made aware of this by a trusted informant of hers.

She informed the police’s VIP Protection Unit and her security detail was strengthened while the allegations of conspiracy to commit murder are investigated.

Madonsela told the Sunday Times she was shocked and traumatised, and didn’t know where the plot came from, but thought it was probably revenge.

Madonsela had further altered her personal schedule, ceasing to jog alone in the mornings and taking care to monitor her security at all times.

In 2014, Madonsela also became concerned about her safety when she was called an “askari” on Twitter. This is a derogatory term to describe a political turncoat, the Sunday Independent reported at the time. She was also accused of being a CIA spy in 2014.

Under fire

Madonsela has recently come under fire for some of her investigations. Last week the ANC hit back at her report on alleged conflation between party and the state in the Free State provincial government’s Operation Hlasela programme, describing her view as “unfortunate”.

Last month, the ANC Women’s League criticised Madonsela for not investigating the Ciex report which implicated Absa bank in corruption, saying they demanded “a more objective and less populist person who will not campaign against government and its people, but defend principles of the structures”.

In March, Madonsela claimed she was being investigated by the Hawks and NPA for holding the view that her powers were binding.

This came after the Constitutional Court’s ruling that President Jacob Zuma had acted inconsistently with the Constitution when he failed to comply with the Public Protector’s remedial action on the upgrades to his Nkandla homestead. It also found that Madonsela’s remedial action was binding.