As ombudsman delegates and governance leaders from across the continent gather in Pretoria, South Africa’s Public Protector is putting a firm spotlight on one of the biggest challenges facing oversight institutions in Africa: ensuring recommendations lead to real accountability.

The gathering brings together delegates under the auspices of regional bodies like the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA) to address systemic state non-compliance, bureaucratic inertia, and the legal enforceability of findings. Against the backdrop of evolving constitutional democracies, the call from Pretoria underscores a vital shift—moving ombudsman offices from symbolic complaint handlers to binding, action-oriented pillars of good governance. Public Protector, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, shared more on the gathering in a conversation with Thabiso TT Tema on Power Breakfast.