List of All Available Ombudsman’s in South Africa and their Contact Details

By The National Debt Review Center

It’s important to know how to solve a problem when it arises. And in order to find the right person or people who can help with this, we often turn to an ombudsman. In South Africa, there are different ombudsman offices that offer different services.

6 Reliable Financial Ombudsman in South Africa and their Contact Details

What is an ombudsman?

An ombudsman is an independent, impartial person who investigates complaints about organisations and their services. Ombudsmen are appointed by the government or parliament to protect the interests of the public.

Organisations that have an ombudsman include banks, energy companies, local councils, and government departments. Ombudsmen can investigate complaints about things like poor service, unfair treatment, or discrimination.

If you have a complaint about an organisation, you can contact their ombudsman. Ombudsmen are free to use, and their services are confidential.

What is the relationship between an ombudsman in South Africa and an individual?

An ombudsman is an individual who is appointed by an organisation to act as an impartial and independent advocate for the rights of individuals. An ombudsman’s role is to investigate and resolve complaints about the organisation’s services, policies or procedures. An ombudsman in South Africa does not have the power to force an organisation to change its policies or practices, but can make recommendations to the organisation about how it could improve its procedures.

An individual can contact an ombudsman in South Africa if they have a complaint about an organisation’s service, policy or procedure. The ombudsman will then investigate the complaint and try to resolve it. If the ombudsman cannot resolve the complaint, they may make a recommendation to the organisation about how it could improve its procedures.

How to find an ombudsman

If you are having problems with a government department or agency, you can contact an ombudsman. An ombudsman is an independent person who investigates complaints and tries to resolve them.

There are several ombudsmen in South Africa, each with their own areas of jurisdiction. To find the ombudsman that deals with your complaint, you can:

• search for your specific problem on the website of the Office of the Public Protector
• look up the contact details of the relevant ombudsman in the Government Gazette

Once you have found the right ombudsman in South Africa, you can lodge a complaint with them.

The list of all available ombudsmen in South Africa and their contact details

NATIONAL CREDIT REGULATOR

The National Credit Regulator is in charge of enforcing the National Credit Act (NCA). In a nutshell, it oversees the South African credit industry. The NCR is in charge of enforcing the National Credit Act (NCA).

The National Credit Regulator is in charge of education, research, policy development, registration of industry participants, and complaint investigation. This office is also in charge of registering credit providers, credit bureaus, and debt counsellors.

If you have concerns about your debt counsellor, you can contact the National Credit Regulator:

• Telephone: 0115542600 or 0860627627
• Fax: 011 554 2871
• Postal Address: PO Box 209, Halfway House, 1685
• Email address: complaints@ncr.org.za or (debt counselling complaints) dccomplaints@ncr.org.za
• Web address: http://www.ncr.org.za

OMBUDSMAN FOR BANKING SERVICES

This office handles customer complaints about banking services and products. The banking ombudsman’s role is to resolve banking complaints in an impartial, timely, and confidential manner. The service is completely free and only applies to banking issues. Before you can approach the Ombudsman, you must first follow the complaints procedure (of the bank with which you are having a problem).

The procedure will be as follows:

• Contact the bank and file a complaint with them.
• Allow the bank some time to resolve the issue.
• If the bank responds with an answer that you are unhappy with, you have the right to take the matter up with the banking ombudsman.

For banking related issues, contact the Ombudsman on the following details.

• Telephone: 0117121800 or 0860800900
• Fax: 011 483 3212
• Postal address: PO Box 87056, Houghton, 2041
• Email: info@obssa.co.za
• Website: http://www.obssa.co.za

CREDIT OMBUDSMAN

The Office of the Credit Ombudsman handles complaints from consumers and businesses who have been impacted by credit information. Or when a consumer has a disagreement with a creditor.

If you obtained a credit report from a credit bureau and discovered incorrect information, you should dispute it with the credit bureau.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome or do not receive a response within 20 working days, you should contact the Credit Ombudsman.

You can reach the Credit Ombudsman’s office at:

• Telephone: 0777816431 or 0861662837
• Fax: 086 674 7414
• Postal address: PO box 805, Pinegowrie, 2123
• Email: ombud@creditombud.org.za
• Website:http://www.creditombud.org.za

OMBUDSMAN FOR LONG TERM INSURANCE

This office, which was founded in 1985, mediates insurance contract disputes. Policyholders who file a complaint with the Ombudsman may still choose to go through the traditional civil court proceedings. These two processes, however, cannot take place at the same time. The primary requirement for receiving assistance from this office is that insurance policies have been marketed or implemented in South Africa.

The long-term insurance ombudsman’s services are completely free. The Ombudsman’s decisions bind industry subscribers.

Please contact the long-term insurance ombudsman at:

• Telephone: 0216575000 or 0860662837
• Fax:021 674 0951
• Post: Private Bag X45, Claremont, 7735
• Email: info@ombud.co.za
• Website: http://www.ombud.co.za

OMBUDSMAN FOR SHORT TERM INSURANCE

This independent office, founded in 1989, offers consumers a free, efficient, and fair dispute resolution mechanism. This office handles short-term insurance disputes such as:

• Vehicles
• house owners (buildings)
• householders (contents)
• cellphone
• travel
• disability
• credit protection insurance
• commercial insurance on a limited basis

Contact the short term insurance ombud on:

• Telephone: 0117268900 or 0860726890
• Fax: 011 726 5501
• Post: PO Box 32334, Braamfontein, 2017
• Email: info@osti.co.za
• Website: http://www.osti.co.za

MOTOR INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN OF SOUTH AFRICA

This independent institution resolves disputes between the motor and related industries and their customers when they have reached a stalemate. While the service is provided free of charge, a technical inspection may be required. This inspection will be paid for by the consumer who filed the complaint.

Please contact the motor industry ombudsman at:

• Telephone: 0861164672
• Fax:086 630 6141
• Post: Suite 156, Private Bag x025, Lynnwood Ridge, 0040
• Email: Info@miosa.co.za
• Website: http://www.miosa.co.za

TAX OMBUDSMAN

This office was established to improve tax administration and provide an independent redress channel for taxpayers who have exhausted the SARS complaints mechanism. The Tax Ombudsman strikes a balance between SARS’s powers and duties on the one hand, and taxpayer rights and obligations on the other. As a result, the Tax Ombudsman communicates with SARS officials. As a result, he has access to the SARS system and taxpayer data in order to resolve complaints.

Contact the tax ombud on:

• Telephone: 0124319105 or 0800662837
• Fax: 012 452 5013
• Post: PO Box 12314, Hatfiled, 0028
• Email: complaints@taxombud.gov.za
• Website: http://www.taxombud.gov.za

Conclusion

The Office of the Ombudsman is a vital part of any democracy, and South Africa is no different. If you have a complaint or grievance against any government institution or official, then you can contact one of the ombudsmen listed above. They will investigate your case and help resolve the issue. So don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance.