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Public Protector Adv Thuli Madonsela this morning met with Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Hellen Zille and other party members in Cape Town. This follows her meeting with the African Christian Democratic Party last week.

The meeting took place as part of the Public Protector’s nationwide public consultation process aimed at soliciting feedback, discussing the role of the institution and enhancing relations with key stakeholders including political parties.

Explaining the purpose of the meeting, the Public Protector said that she wanted to get a sense of whether she was meeting stakeholder expectations. She explained the role of her institution as giving justice where there were administrative injustices, identifying systemic deficiencies, exacting accountability in the use of public power and control over state resources and taking remedial action. She emphasised that without remedial action her office would be a gate to nowhere.

The Public Protector further said that it was important to have a common understanding of her mandate and to determine whether the institution was true to its mandate.

The DA took the opportunity to reiterate its commitment to the Constitution and to respecting and defending the independence of the Chapter 9 institutions.

Party leaders expressed their satisfaction with the efficiency and independence of the Public Protector’s office in dealing with cases, both where DA public representatives were complainants, or assisted others, and in cases where party administrations were respondents. Likewise, the Public Protector expressed her satisfaction with the channels of communication and response times of the Western Cape Provincial government.

The discussion was fruitful and frank and the outcomes will enhance the professional engagement between the Public Protector and the DA. Both parties recognised the different but complementary roles they play in protecting the Constitution.

A key issue that emerged from the meeting was the need for a national dialogue of the notion of accountability, its definition, and the importance it plays in a democracy.