The City of Cape Town’s Ombudsman Office invited members of the public to pop by its exhibition at the Cape Town Civic Centre today, 15 March 2022, as part of its celebration of World Consumer Rights Day. As the watchdog over the City, the Ombud’s Office has arranged for City customer-facing departments to exhibit information on all manner of services in an effort to empower customers with knowledge.

‘It is all about respecting and protecting consumers and one way to do this is to ensure that no one gets left behind while we’re constantly moving forward in a digital consumer world. The theme of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day is Fair Digital Finance. The Office of the Ombud has been doing a lot of work over the last year to ensure that services are brought closer to the people, especially in our more vulnerable communities. One such intervention has been the launch of an SMS service. The hard work continues, and we must make sure that customers who do not have a high degree of digital access are not left behind. Cape Town is an inclusive place, and the City must drive and enable inclusivity to ensure that digital poverty is not a means of excluding people from services or the means to pay for services online,’ said the City’s Ombudsman, Vusumzi Magwebu.

According to the World Consumer Rights website: ‘By 2024, digital banking consumers are expected to exceed 3,6 billion. In the developing world, the proportion of account owners sending and receiving payments digitally has grown from 57% in 2014 to 70% in 2017. Digital finance brings new opportunities – but also new risks that can lead to unfair outcomes for consumers. Digital finance can increase the likelihood that the most vulnerable are left behind.’

‘The City is a customer-centric organisation and it is really important to have an independent watchdog to protect customers and to keep the City on its toes. The next big challenge is to ensure services offered, whether in person or digitally, are truly accessible to all,’ said Ombud Magwebu.

How to lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman
Once a complaint form has been completed, it can be sent by post or delivered to:

The Ombudsman
Third floor
Tower Block
Cape Town Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
8001
Cape Town

Alternatively, the complaint form can be emailed to ombudsdirect@capetown.gov.za or faxed to 021 400 5952.

Please always describe a complaint in detail, including the name/s of the official/s involved, what happened and any relevant dates and times. Please always include any relevant documentation or evidence. The Ombudsman’s Office will assess the complaint, to determine whether the office can assist or whether to direct the complainant to the appropriate department or institution.

The office follows the Ombudsman By-law (2015). It functions with independence, credibility and impartiality. It is against the law and South African Constitution to interfere in the business, powers and functions of this office. The City encourages members of the public to approach the Ombudsman once they have exhausted the required channels.

There are many City complaint channels available to members of the public, depending on the nature of the complaint.

The Ombudsman does not investigate the following complaints, as there are other complaint channels for these:

• any legislative or executive decisions by the Council, any of its portfolio committees or subcouncils;
• any matter involving an allegation of fraud, corruption or corporate crime as referred to in the City’s Fraud Prevention Policy;
• any matter or dispute which must be dealt with or settled within the field of labour law;
• any allegation relating to financial irregularities;
• any cases where the complainant has not reported the matter to the line department as first port of call;
• any alleged irregular conduct of a councillor;
• any complaint which is vexatious or frivolous;
• any tender-related matter; and
• administrative appeals.

Source: City Of Cape Town