In this episode of Difference She Makes, we turn our focus to policies, the internal rules that determine whether institutions protect people in practice or only on paper. Adelle Onyango is joined by Zikhona Ndlebe, a South Africa–based judicial governance expert who has worked at the heart of policy reform within the legal system. Zikhona helps us understand why policies are not just administrative tools, but powerful mechanisms that shape culture, accountability, and safety, especially for women. This conversation unpacks how sexual misconduct has long existed in legal institutions even when it was never formally named, why denial protects systems more than people, and how policy gaps leave survivors without recourse. Zikhona also explains why timing matters: when harm occurs before a policy exists, justice becomes far more difficult to achieve. We explore:
- Why internal workplace policies matter as much as laws and constitutions
- How power, silence, and denial operate inside legal institutions
- The real-world consequences of policy gaps for women in law
- Why implementation matters more than intention
- What other African countries can learn from South Africa’s experience
This episode is a reminder that justice is not only written in legislation, it is lived through policy, practice, and accountability.
Listener question:
What’s one workplace policy you wish existed and was actually enforced?
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