Meet the City’s new Ombud at Blue Route Mall

12 March 2026

The Office of the City Ombudsman invites members of the public to meet the new Ombudsman, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa.

The City invites members of the public to meet the City’s new Ombudsman, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, and other regulatory bodies at Blue Route Mall tomorrow, Friday, 13 March 2026, during the World Consumer Rights Day 2026 annual exhibition under the theme: ‘Safe products, confident consumer.’

City Ombud Makamandela-Mguqulwa will be joined by several regulatory bodies, including the Western Cape Government’s Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety, the Western Cape Police Ombudsman (WCPO), the Public Protector of South Africa (PPSA), the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Office of the Consumer Protector (OCP), the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS), the Office of the National Financial Ombud (NFO), representatives from the insurance industry and various City departments.

‘I look forward to meeting residents tomorrow and helping them as best as possible with any last resort challenges that they have been struggling with as it pertains to municipal services and matters. In my previous role as the first Ombud at the University of Cape Town, I established and led the institution’s Ombuds Office, the first of its kind in Africa’s higher education sector. During my tenure, we assisted thousands of individuals and helped set a benchmark for Ombuds practice both nationally and internationally.

‘As a trained mediator, coach and change management specialist, I am passionate about ethics, organisational integrity, inclusivity and leadership development,’ said Makamandela-Mguqulwa.

Date: Friday, 13 March 2026
Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Venue: Blue Route Mall, First floor (information court area), 16 Tokai Road, Tokai, Cape Town, 7945

Please bring along your Identity Document and evidence of your complaint.

About the City’s Ombud

Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa is a certified and internationally recognised Ombud and conflict resolution practitioner, with over 25 years of experience across the private and public sector.

She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of South Africa, a Master’s degree in Education from the University of the Western Cape, a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of Cape Town, along with multiple international certifications in Ombuds practice and dispute resolution.

The Ombudsman’s Office deals with municipal-related complaints about the City’s administration as an office of last resort. This means that members of the public must first exhaust all avenues within the City’s administration before approaching the office.

The Ombud’s Office is available to assist residents with all last resort municipal-related complaints. The services of the office are free and a voluntary option for handling complaints.

Find questions and answers with the City Ombud here.

Office of the Ombudsman

Our core and primary function is to investigate and help resolve complaints against the City administration. We render an independent, impartial, unbiased, non-prejudicial and apolitical service, which mainly entails alternative dispute resolution or corrective action in order to resolve a complaint amicably. We are an office of last resort and a voluntary option for conflict resolution.

Our goal is to serve as a catalyst between the City administration and its customers, and as a neutral third party that represents the interests and rights of the City’s customers by holding civil servants accountable to the people.

The office has developed a hybrid approach to conflict resolution that combines the elements of both the organisational and statutory models for Ombud services. We also conduct various advocacy and awareness functions to promote our services, engage with local, national and international associations for organisational and statutory ombudsman institutions, and forge relationships with relevant stakeholders.

For more information and enquiries, visit the City's website. 

Caption : City Ombudsman, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office