An article on August 7 on the SABC news website reported that "Diverse groups joined a picket outside the gates of parliament on Friday where they said South Africans must protect the office of the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela and unite against corruption."

The groups included the Council for the Advancement of South African Constitution (Casac) and the Right to Know Campaign.

Casac's Lawson Naidoo said, "We think it is important that all sectors of South African society come together to state loudly and clearly that we will not tolerate corruption. We need to have zero tolerance to corruption from the highest levels to the lowest levels."

A similar sentiment was echoed by Mark Weinberg of the Right to Know Campaign, who had this to say: "We're here to challenge corruption and call on all South Africans to really stand up for the kind of future we want for ourselves and our children."

Without appearing too condescending towards her, but having to state the obvious, there is no doubt in the minds of many South Africans that Madonsela and her office does this country proud.

This pride is derived from the knowledge that, as long as Madonsela is in that office, government officials and state organs that are tempted to milk the state coffers for themselves will ultimately be brought to book.

Having said that, it might be opportune to point out that the office of the public protector is just one of the chapter 9 institutions, established to support constitutional democracy.

The other institutions are the Human Rights Commission; the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities; the Commission for Gender Equality; the Auditor-General and the Electoral Commission.

Clearly it is important that all these institutions be supported by all South Africans and that none should be made to feel unfairly targeted simply for doing its work. Equally so, it is crucial that any tendencies of a development of a 'queen bee' syndrome among the chapter 9 institutions be strongly discouraged as that would hamper their collective and overall work, namely to support our constitutional democracy.

Such a tendency would not be helpful to society. All it would do is tempt small political parties to seek to gain mileage out of the office of the public protector.

In the 1980's, comrades in the Black Consciousness Movement used to say that if you as black man or woman receive any praise of whatever nature from white people, you must check yourself.

Madonsela and her office must check themselves and ensure that they do not attract groupings whose only interest is to score cheap political points, at the expense of the governing ANC.

We would put the march by Cope to her office the other day in that category.

It would be much more helpful if such support to the office of the public protector came from other chapter 9 institutions, for example, or the three arms of government.

Contrary to popular view that the masses know nothing because they are illiterate, history tells us that the masses, even if they appear to take a long time to react, see and observe everything that is done in their name.

They can tell the difference between the sheep and the hyenas.

This is meant to reassure the public protector that she is not alone in her pursuit of rooting out all those who intend to milk the state coffers for their own narrow personal interests.

But I do not think it helps her or her office in any way to project the head of state as her enemy.

l Ka Mzolo is a social and media commentator based in Pretoria