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Rhodes Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø appoints retired Attorney-General as first Ombud

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Retired provincial Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Les Roberts has been appointed as Rhodes Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø’s first Ombudsperson.
Retired provincial Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Les Roberts has been appointed as Rhodes Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø’s first Ombudsperson.

Rhodes Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø has appointed retired provincial Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Les Roberts as the Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø¡¯s first Ombudsperson.  His two-year appointment expires in 2022.

Advocate Roberts holds Bachelor of Arts and LLB degrees from Rhodes Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø. He lectured at the  Law Faculty between 2003 and 2013. After graduating from the Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø, he worked for the department of Justice as Prosecutor until he became the Eastern Cape Attorney-General in 1993. The title changed to Director of Public Prosecutions in 1998. He retired in 2001.

The Ombudsman¡¯s role is to create an appropriate channel for the final resolution for complaints involving stakeholders where the existing Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø structures and processes are deemed by complainants to be inadequate.

The Ombud¡¯s Office is independent of the Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø¡¯s structures and is not an agent for the Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø or any of its structures.  

¡°The Ombud¡¯s Office does not aim to replace any of the Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø¡¯s existing structures. On the contrary, it seeks to complement and supplement these structures in the interest of administrative justice,¡±  Registrar, Professor Ad¨¦le Moodly said.

"Complainants must exhaust the normal Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø procedures before involving the Ombud. If concerns remain unresolved they may be referred to the Ombud. Should it be established that the available Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø channels have not been thoroughly explored, the Ombud will refer complainants back to the Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø,¡± said Prof Moodly.

¡°I would like to see the post finding its feet and establishing itself as a useful tool for ensuring harmonious relationships within the greater Rhodes Å·ÖÞ±­×ãÇòÍø_ÍâΧÂòÇòappÍÆ¼ö-Ͷע|¹ÙÍø community. According to the Ombud¡¯s terms of reference, the Ombud only becomes involved if all other possible procedures have been exhausted and if an aggrieved party then invokes the Ombud¡¯s services,¡± Roberts said.

The office of the Ombud can be reached via email: ombud@ru.ac.za