January 5, 2005
By Anish Abraham
GAUTENG finally has its own office of the provincial Public Protector - fittingly based at the Constitution Hill precinct in Braamfontein.
The office, which was launched in November last year by Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa, is now fully operational.
The Constitution Hill office forms part of the vision to see the precinct used by independent commissions and non-governmental organisations involved in human rights, justice, equality and heritage.
Other tenants include advocates, law firms and other professional bodies related to court work.
Gauteng is the last of the nine provinces to get a regional office, although residents were previously encouraged to direct complaints and enquiries to the National Public Protector's office in Pretoria.
During the launch of the Johannesburg office, Shilowa urged members of the public to form a long-lasting relationship with the Public Protector to see "the upliftment of people in the province".
The Public Protector Act of 1994 states the office is "to protect the public against matters such as maladministration in connection with the affairs of government, improper conduct by a person performing a public function, improper acts with respect to public money and improper or unlawful enrichment of a person performing a public function".
The Public Protector is independent of government and any political party and is appointed by parliament in terms of the Constitution.
The protector receives complaints from aggrieved persons against government agencies or officials and has the power to investigate and recommend corrective action and issue reports to parliament.
According to the Centre of Socio-Legal Studies, the Office of the Public Protector can be approached informally without any complicated procedures or processes and the services are available at no cost to the complainant.
Public Protector, Lawrence Mushwana, in a press release, said his office had "embarked on an outreach programme to promote access to the offices and to encourage public participation so that the general public could have a direct contact with the office".
For more information contact the Office of the Public Protector on 012 322 2916.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
