Newsletter from the Office of the City Ombudsman, Cape Town
Issue 13
June 2012
Welcome to the latest issue of the
Ombudsmanwrites. Whether you are a subscriber
or a new reader it is my sincere hope that you
will enjoy it. In this issue we feature the benefits
of Ombudsing as a model for other municipalities
and some of the outcomes of our internal
marketing campaign which started in February
this year.
I hope that you will enjoy reading about the
activities in the office and how our slogan,
“People matter, so we strive to reach a working
solution” is something we strive for on a daily
basis. I would like to thank my team for going the extra mile and pushing forward
amidst the many challenges they are faced with. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “We
must become the change we want to see in the world.”
Mbulelo Baba
Office of the City Ombudsman
In this issue:
Winners in our First Survey Competition
Educate and Inform (marketing campaign)
Ombudsing in the City of Cape Town - a model for other municipalities
Youth day 2012
Statistics (For the past three quarters)
People you should know!
Survey competition 2
Top winter tips
Our winners
Congratulations to the winners of our Survey Competition Number One. Thank you for
your valuable insight and keep on reading!
First Prize: Abdul Khan, Specialised Technical Services
Prize: Tog bag
Second Prize: Louise Nicholson, Provincial Government
Prize: Thermal mug and business card holder
Third Prize: Paul Williamson, Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning
Prize: Lunchtime cooler bag, stress ball and pen
Educate and inform
We commenced the implementation of our internal marketing campaign (new slogan and
colours) to educate and inform staff about our role, purpose and processes (where we fit
in) We began with the Customer Relations and Revenue Departments. The staff from
these departments welcomed the information on how we operate and the fact that we
intervene only as a last resort to avoid duplicating line department functions. There was
a discussion on the types of complaints we handle, our processes and whether we take
departmental turn-a-round times into account. One of the issues raised was when it
would be appropriate to refer clients to the office (answer: when all other avenues have
been exhausted). To address this challenge we will institute a checklist for Call Centre
and Revenue staff which they can use to decide when to refer a complaint to the
Ombudsman’s office. This initiative will commence on 1 July 2012.
In response to requests from the community of Bishop Lavis, who we visited in November
2011 to advise residents about our services, we once again visited the area in February
2012. We would like to thank staff from Customer Relations and Revenue for your
attendance and interaction during the sessions. We would also like to thank the staff at
Bishop Lavis Library for hosting us.
Ombudsing in the City of Cape Town - A model for other
municipalities
The concept of ombudsing is still relatively new in South African local government.
Municipal ombudsing is quite unique in that there are currently only three such offices
in South Africa (City of Cape Town, Ethekwini and the Breede Valley Municipalities.)
The municipal ombudsman provides a solution to address underlying conflict between a
municipality and its customers.
The City Ombudsman has developed a hybrid approach to conflict resolution that
combines elements of both the organisational and statutory models for ombudsing,
which is increasingly proving to be most suitable for the South African municipal
environment. We also strongly advocate the importance of forging linkages with local,
national and international ombudsing academics and institutions to provide for the
exchange of knowledge in order to ensure successful skills formation and to promote
the ombudsing system further within local government.
The benefits of an ombudsing structure include:
For the organisation
It can serve as an “early warning system” for managers. When process or policy
problems are identified early, they can often be resolved before they become
critical, thus preventing major disruptions.
It can help to increase awareness of key issues or problems in the organisation.
When trends emerge, they can be shared with managers through routine
reporting, as long as confidentiality is preserved, as appropriate.
It can be used to make previously unthought of recommendations that managers
can use to take appropriate actions.
It can provide mechanisms for confidential feedback.
It can serve as an information resource and assist management in providing
information to employees.
For the customer
It provides an identifiable and accessible focal point for receiving complaints. At
the City of Cape Town, our guarantees of confidentiality without fear of reprisal
and our neutrality are unique offerings.
It establishes an informal channel of inquiry for those who do not wish to pursue
a formal channel. Informal channels are usually quicker, less disruptive and
costly compared to more complicated and lengthy formal channels.
It can redirect people where necessary to the correct process or formal
procedure (outside of the ombudsman role), when appropriate, if the person
does not know what options are available.
It provides customers with a place of last resort, when other recognised problem
assistance processes have failed.
An effective ombudsman function can be developed for almost any organisation and
within the municipal environment such a structure can only enhance good governance
and public sector capacity building.
Youth day 2012
During June 2012 we once again commemorated Youth Day, an important Public Holiday
in the democratic history of South Africa. Youth day events were held across the country
to remember the loss of young lives in the Soweto Riots of 1976 and what it means for
youth today. The iconic picture of Hector Pieterson, a black school child shot by the
police in Soweto near Johannesburg during a peaceful protest march, brought home the
brutalities of the Apartheid regime to many people within and outside South Africa. In
the weeks that followed over 700 people - mostly youth - were killed.
Youth Day serves to remind South Africa of the importance of its youth and brings
across the message that something like the Soweto riots should never happen again.
Youth Day forms the highlight of Youth Month, which is celebrated under the theme
"Together we can do more to build infrastructure and fight youth unemployment,
poverty and inequality". This is important for a country with an approximately 40%
unemployment rate especially amongst the youth.
Source: http://www.info.gov.za/events/2012/youthday.htm
Statistics
Over the past three quarters (1 July 2011 to 31 March 2012) we have investigated 935
complaints. On average:
Cases resolved amicably and findings made = 83%
The turnaround time for resolving complaints = 72%
Most of the complaints received were from the Finance and Utility Directorates.
People you should know
Ombudsman for Banking Services
The Ombudsman for Banking Services handles complaints against banks in cases
involving less than R1 000 000 at no charge to the customer.
Contact Numbers: 0860 800 900
Fax: 011 838 0043
Email: info@obssa.co.za
Credit Ombud
The Office of the Credit Ombud resolves complaints from consumers and businesses that
are negatively impacted by credit bureau information or can be called on when a
consumer has a dispute with a credit provider, debt counsellor or payment distribution
agent.
Contact Number: 0861 662 837
Fax: 086 683 4644
Email: ombud@creditombud.org.za
Web: www.creditombud.org.za
Survey Competition Two
The winners in our Survey Competition Two will receive a hamper of
promotional items from us!
First Prize: Conference folder, business card holder and pen
Second Prize: Drawstring bag, thermal mug and stress ball
1. Are the articles in the Ombudsmanwrites relevant and newsworthy?
Yes or No
2. Are you a subscriber to Ombudsmanwrites?
Yes or No
3. What would you like to see more of in Ombudsmanwrites?
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Top winter tips
Learn about your electricity usage
If you are going to sensibly manage the energy demands of your home, you have to
know what is and isn’t making big demands on your electricity supply. The rule is to use
the smallest appliance available for any job (e.g. your kettle rather than your stove for
heating water) and to keep a careful eye on power-hungry appliances that have to run
for a long time – especially heaters.*
For more information, visit the following website:
http://www.expressoshow.com/articles/Winter-Energy-Saving-Tips.html?articleID=2431
What to do if you don’t receive an account
If the due date is close and you have not yet received your City statement, request a
copy from your nearest enquiry office. If you fail to pay your account on time, you will be
charged interest. The onus is on you to request a duplicate statement.
What to do if you think your account is incorrect
Contact the Account Enquiries desk or visit your local office:
Account Enquiries
Tel: 0860 103 089
Fax: 0860 103 090
Email: contactus@capetown.gov.za or accounts@capetown.gov.za
The Office of the City Ombudsman is an office of last resort, which means you’ll need to
contact the relevant line department or call centre before contacting our office. For
example customers with accounts enquiries will need to visit their local Cash Office and
supply copies of all the necessary documentation as proof of a refund or error on an
account. If however after a reasonable time there has been no feedback or the customer
is still not satisfied they are welcome to contact our office.
Contact us
You can contact the Office of the City Ombudsman on 021 400 5487 or visit our
website at the following website address:
www.capetown.gov.za/en/CityOmbudsman/Pages/default.aspx
Email complaints: ombudsdirect@capetown.gov.za