Public Protector’s office is open to all
The Public Protector can be visited at 18A Landdros Mare Street next to the Unisa Library or complaints can be posted to PO Box 4533, Polokwane 0700.
POLOKWANE – By striving to ensure that state institutions, government departments and state-owned enterprises are accountable and serve the people well in accordance with the Batho Pele Principles, the office of the Public Protector bridges a gap, which prior to the establishment of the office, allowed accountability to go unchecked.
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Adv Mashaba George Matimolane, Head of the Limpopo Public Protector Office, in keeping with the mandate of the Public Protector South Africa, straddles a fine line between holding public officials to account and maintaining cordial relations with stakeholders comprising of among others, the same public officials.
The services of the Public Protector’s office are available to everyone free of charge.
However, the ambit of the powers of the office is limited to complaints raised against public entities, government departments and state-owned entities. The office has, in terms of the laws that regulate its operations, no jurisdiction to entertain complaints against private entities or private individuals.
The Constitution of South Africa provides that the Public Protector is mandated to investigate conduct in state affairs or in the public sphere that is alleged to be improper or prejudicial to others, to report on that conduct and to take appropriate remedial action where such is called upon.
In investigating complaints, the Public Protector assumes an impartial and neutral role between the complainant and the entity complained against. Therefore it does not follow that the Public Protector will always make findings against entities, against which complaints are lodged. There have been many instances where members of the public, unfairly so, have accused the Public Protector of being biased towards state institutions where findings do not implicate state institutions or officials in any wrong-doing.
The Public Protector can be visited at 18A Landdros Mare Street next to the Unisa Library or complaints can be posted to PO Box 4533, Polokwane 0700.
The office can also be contacted at (015) 295 5712/5699/5956 or via fax at (015) 295 2870.
