ATT: ALL NEWS EDITORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:  02 October 2025

South African Military Ombud to host the 17th Conference of Ombuds Institutions for Armed Forces

South African Military Ombud Office will host the 17th International Conference of Ombuds Institutions for Armed Forces (17ICOAF) from 08 to 09 October 2025 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.

The conference will be co-hosted by the Office and Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF). 

South Africa, was announced last year at the 16ICOAF, as the host of the conference that gathers representatives of ombuds institutions for the armed forces from around the world.

The objective of 17ICOAF is to raise awareness, facilitate and foster peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge and best practices, and shape future policy responses related to the mandate, powers, and functioning of ombuds institutions for armed forces. To date, representatives of ombuds institutions of over 50 states have participated in the ICOAF initiative.

The 17ICOAF in South Africa will be held under the theme “Building Bridges– Awareness and Outreach Efforts by Ombuds Institutions”. The chosen theme is grounded in the understanding that the effectiveness and perceived legitimacy of oversight bodies depend on the levels of awareness, understanding, and trust among those whom their mandate is intended to serve.

Military Ombud, Lt Gen (Ret) Vusumuzi Masondo, will welcome the member states as they deliberate on a number of topics during the conference. “We are elated that the country has been chosen as the host of this conference for the second time after hosting a successful event in 2018,” said Masondo.

The five-sessions panel moderated  conference will unpack, amongst others; the notion of awareness and outreach within the scope and work of ombuds institutions; concretise how awareness is operationalised through outreach efforts; provide the space for the exchange of best practices related to outreach channels and tools; focuses on how to tailor awareness-raising and outreach efforts to specific target audiences, including other governmental actors, the general public, rights holders, or other oversight bodies and the role of ombuds institutions in addressing abuse of power and corruption within the armed forces.

The South African Military Ombud was established to strengthen accountability and fairness within the defence environment. The Office is mandated by its Act of 2012 to investigate complaints submitted in writing by current serving and former members of the SANDF regarding their conditions of service, and members of the public concerning the official conduct of Defence Force personnel.

In fulfilling its mandate, the Office must promote and safeguard the observance of the fundamental rights of Defence Force members, as enshrined in the RSA Constitution.

ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY OMBUD

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