Thuli Madonsela honoured with a rose named after her

In recognition of her work as a champion for social justice, former public protector Thuli Madonsela will have a rose named after her on Thursday.

“I don’t know whether the rose chose her, or she chose the rose,’ says Anja Taschner of Ludwig’s Roses when asked how Madonsela selected her specific rose, which produces masses of fragrant deep pink blooms with glowing white outer petals.

According to Anja, the public had been asking Ludwig’s Roses to name a rose after Madonsela for years, but they held back while she was still in public office. That all changed when Madonsela was appointed professor of law, holding a chair in social justice at Stellenbosch University.

“When I heard Madonsela would be speaking at Val de Vie estate in Paarl I arranged to meet her beforehand bearing a huge bouquet of roses in every colour.

“Unknown to her, we included a new rose that my father, Ludwig, and I thought would be perfect for her, and without any prompting, she went straight for that rose. I didn’t even have to point it out to her.”

The Thuli Madonsela rose is one of the new Stamina roses, that is disease resistant and hardy. It is a hybrid tea rose that grows to chest height but performs like a floribunda rose by producing endless clusters of pickable blooms.

The glowing pink of the blooms, says Anja, embodies Madonsela’s feminine energy while the white symbolises truth.

The rose will be unveiled at the 48th Spring Rose Festival from Friday to Sunday at Ludwig’s Rose Farm, north of Tshwane.

Every Thuli Madonsela rose sold that weekend will raise R100 for Madonsela’s foundation, a public benefit organisation. This includes roses sold online and at any other Ludwig’s Roses outlets.

The ThuMa Foundation was founded by Madonsela to deepen and defend democracy and the rule of law through people empowerment for ethical leadership, development and peace.

In addition, the profits from the ticket sales to the Language of Colour expo during the festival will go to the foundation.

The 1,000m² Rose Shed at the farm will be transformed into a rose labyrinth, using thousands of blooms to demarcate 200 different colour zones, that explore all aspects of colour, including colour psychology and therapy.

Floral installations will spotlight different rose bloom shapes. They will be paired wine and rose tastings, rose bloom dying, and interactive workshops by interior and paint specialists.

It includes a kid’s zone, where children can play and discover their creativity using environmentally friendly non-toxic paint. Children under 12 are admitted free.

Plant a laureate rose

As a Rose Laureate, Madonsela joins a group of distinguished South Africans, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, judge Dikgang Moseneke and humanitarian activist Nomzamo Mbatha, who have been honoured with a rose.

Most of the Rose Laureate roses form part of the Ludwig’s White Ribbon Rose Collection, from which R10 of the sale price of each rose is donated to the relevant non-profit organisation.

Nelson Mandela is a statuesque fiery orange rose that is a disease-resistant garden stalwart that can stand proudly on its own as a focal point in a garden or can be planted as a screen for a wall or fence. Funds go the Nelson Mandela Foundation.