Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela addressed many pertinent issues at a breakfast held for business leaders, in Sandton on 1 October (see previous article).
Regarding a question asked about the current strike in the mining industry, Madonsela said, “the government needs to balance failures” in this area, and her office is willing to work with the Marikana Commission of Inquiry to reach a working solution.
When a woman in the audience identified herself as a media worker and said that she was prevented to “tell stories” in the past because of intimidation by the government, Madonsela looked sad. “We have had two cases like this,” she said. “If government has stopped these things it is a violation of transparency.” She continued that her office is willing to work with the media in such situations, and the media can contact her.
Madonsela said that since August she had been on a “roadshow”, appearing at events around the country, to talk to the public about the role of the Public Protector. She said that in Sweden, the United Kingdom and Uganda, the Public Protector functions differently in each instance. The debate of the Public Protector, she explained, centres around the enforcement of its decisions, and it is no different in South Africa.
She said that, in light of what is stated in the Constitution and legislature, the Public Protector should be a mechanism to “curb excesses in the exercise [of] public power”. She said that merely writing a report, even with recommendations, is not “appropriate action” in serious matters, and hopes the debate between her office and the Executive about her role and powers will soon end. She said that her office plays both a proactive and reactive role. Her office can suspect maladministration and corruption in an area, and act accordingly, or respond to that already made public.
Details: Public Protector South Africa customerservice@pprotect.org, 012 366 7143.
