27 Apr 2017

The Ombudsman, Mr Augustine Makgonatsotlhe has implored heads of departments to form complaints structures within their departments.
He said this in an address of the regional heads on Tuesday at the best administrative practices seminar in Francistown.

Mr Makgonatsotlhe said it was important that all government departments and parastatals have a complaints system in place in order to resolve complaints within departments before they reached the office of the Ombudsman.
He further explained that these complaints structures would help handle grievances and correct mistakes before situations were escalated and taken up further with his office. He also added that handling complaints within the department reduced the possibilities of having a toxic work environment within government departments.

“Management of public sector organisations should set up a practice, culture and complaint handling policy. Complaints must be valued and welcomed as a way of putting things right and improving service delivery,”he said
Mr Makgonatsotlhe explained that the office of the Ombudsman offered its services to every member of the public who had suffered any maladministration by government departments and parastatals regardless of whether they were citizens or non-citizens. He said this in response to a question posed by Ms Tidimalo Kwati from the Department of Immigration in Francistown who had asked whether the office of the Ombudsman took complaints from citizens only.

In her vote of thanks, the principal legal investigator for Francistown, Ms Tebogo Mapodisi emphasised that the office of the ombudsman was an institution that advocated for independence and fairness. She encouraged heads of departments to work with the office of the Ombudsman to fight maladministration.
She further urged HODs present at the seminar to view the office of the Ombudsman as a partner that helped government departments deliver the services they were meant to deliver to the public timely.
Ms Mapodisi said government’s mandate was to provide services to its citizens through departments; therefore if a department did not deliver services, it crippled the entire government machinery. ENDS