/ 13 February 2011

Public Protector decries lack of appreciation

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said there was a lack of appreciation of the full mandates of her office.

“You’ll be surprised at the kind of responses we get from lawyers representing the state,” she said at the SA National Editors’ Forum dinner in Cape Town on Saturday.

Madonsela said mandates of the office of the Public Protector included investigating and resolving disputes that went beyond maladministration.

This included the abuse of power, the abuse of state resources, and contravention of the provisions of the prevention and combatting of Corrupt Activities Act.

There was also a misapprehension that her office should only get involved when there was a complainant who was directly involved or affected.

Madonsela said the effectiveness of her office depended largely on moral persuasion and the media played a critical role in this respect.

The Public Protector and the media gave the voiceless a voice and raised the conscience of government. Good governance depended on openness and transparency, she said.

The Public Protector’s role was to promote proper conduct and good administration in all spheres of government by resolving disputes against the state. – Sapa