The University of Cape Town’s Ombud Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa and Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane have formalised the relationship between their offices with a plan to draw up a memorandum of understanding.
The meeting, on 8 February, was the Public Protector’s first physical visit to UCT, but the two offices have previously worked together informally to either de-escalate or escalate matters, as required. Mkhwebane was accompanied on the visit by Advocate Suné Griessel of the Western Cape office of the Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) and Betty Ngobeni, PPSA executive assistant.
The Public Protector is the president of the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA) and chairperson of the African Ombudsman Research Centre (AORC). She is also a member of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).
The UCT Ombud is a member of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) and the African regional chairperson of the IOA’s international committee. Both organisations have been looking into formalising a relationship.
Discussions during the closed meeting revolved around several topics of mutual interest.
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