Public Protector stakeholder engagement blitz off to Free State

Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s 2017 Stakeholder Engagement programme this week moves to the Free State, where she will address the legislature in Bloemfontein before proceeding to hear from members the public in Thaba Nchu.

The visit is part of a four-month roadshow during which Adv. Mkhwebane introduces herself to stakeholders as the country’s fourth Public Protector, outlines her vision for the office for the next seven years and grants audiences an opportunity to raise with her any matter of concern relating to her office and the work in does.

Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu will be the eighth and ninth towns Adv. Mkhwebane visits since February. She has already been to Johannesburg, Ratanda, Thohoyandou, Polokwane, Nelspruit, and Ermelo, and will be in Pietermaritzburg on the eve of her Free State stopover.

When she wraps up the roadshow in May, Adv. Mkhwebane hopes to have had a meaningful dialogue with a variety of stakeholders, including government leaders, lawmakers, political parties, civil society and the general public.

“I have taken note of some of the concerns you have been expressing through various avenues, including social media and phone-in programmes on radio. I call on you to use these meetings as to engage in a direct, unmediated interaction with me for answers,” Adv. Mkhwebane said.

She added that members of the public will be given an opportunity during the engagements to lodge service and conduct failure complaints with her office for investigation. A team of investigators will accompany her for this purpose.

The engagements, held under the theme “Broadening Access: Taking the Public Protector to the Grassroots”, will take place as follows:

Address to the Legislature

Meeting with Thaba Nchu residents

Members of the media are invited to cover the events and are encouraged to RSVP for the event by contacting Mr Salvation Mokgatlhe on 084 543 2141 or by email salvationm@pprotect.org

For more information, contact:

Oupa Segalwe
Senior Manager: Communications
Public Protector South Africa
Cell: 072 264 3273
Tel: 012 366 7035
Email: salvationm@pprotect.org
@PublicProtector
Public Protector South Africa