Ombudsman takes bold step, subpoenas ministries

The Office of the Ombudsman has often received flak for being toothless, with their attempts to resolve cases being frustrated by uncooperative government departments as well as a shortage of investigators. It has been revealed that some ministries and departments often ignore communication from the Office of the Ombudsman, while others choose to delay their communications without any valid reasons.

When presenting the office's budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year before the Committee of Supply, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Nelson Maotwana, said that while the Office of the Ombudsman continues to improve its case resolution rate, the desired level has not been attained.