Johannesburg - He is expecting to be “overwhelmed” with complaints. That’s Siduduzo Gumede, the man tasked with giving an ear to disgruntled Joburg residents who are now able to report their grievances with city officials and departments thanks to the opening of the city’s ombudsman office. Gumede, the city’s new ombudsman, opened his doors for the first time on Wednesday morning in Houghton and told The Star he was ready for the first complaints.
“I am very new to this, so I really don’t know what to expect, but I am ready. Knowing the size of Joburg and the number of residents that live here, I am expecting to be kept very busy, although at this stage, I don’t know what the volumes will be,” he said.
Gumede said residents should first exhaust the normal processes of complaining through the call centre.
“I will only be dealing with escalations once the normal system has failed,” he said.
His job is to ensure impartiality and resolve disputes in a just and equitable manner to the satisfaction of the complainant.
His appointment took effect on April 1, but his office, which is at 36 Boundary Road, Houghton Estate, only started taking complaints from July 1 as they were busy setting up office structures.
* People with complaints can e-mail them to: [email protected] or visit the website where they can download the form: www.joburgombudsman.org.za.
The Star