The South African Military Ombud is visiting the military bases in Kimberley, De Aar and Jan Kempdorp this week to educate soldiers about the services offered by their offices.
Head of Communication at the SA Military Ombud Office, Nthombikayise Mdluli Jacha, said they would assist current and and former soldiers of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) with their conditions of service such as unfair dismissals, tools of trade, benefits and promotions, amongst other, as prescribed in the Defence Act.
“Part of the office mandate is also to investigate complaints brought by members of the public against SANDF personnel whilst on duty.”
Lieutenant General (Ret) Vusumuzi Masondo said the outreach programme would educate military personnel on the process to be followed in order to lodge a complaint after exhausting all internal processes within the SANDF.
“Our office remains open to assist soldiers and members of the public when they are aggrieved.
“It is imperative that all cases reported at our office are dealt with in a fair manner without any undue influence.
‘We will continue to maintain our independence by making sure that there is no unfairness when dealing with cases of SANDF personnel and members of the public,” he said.
Masondo advised that in instances where the Military Ombud was unable to assist it would refer these complaints to other relevant statutory bodies such as the Public Protector, Public Service Commission, Gender Commission, South African Human Rights Commission and Government Employees Pension Fund.
