The administrative complaints of Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) members, pensioners and beneficiaries will now be addressed and resolved by the newly unveiled Government Employees Pension Ombud (GEPO).
Officially launching the office recently, GEPF chairperson, Dr Renosi Mokate said: “the purpose of the GEPO is to facilitate, investigate, determine and resolve complaints lodged by members, pensioners and beneficiaries of the GEPF in a fair, impartial and timely manner.
“Furthermore, the GEPO provides an informal yet accessible and cost-effective alternative to other remedies such as court proceedings. I would like to express our appreciation to retired Judge Bakone Justice Moloto and Advocate Makhado Ramabulana for the work done to establish the Ombud Office.”
Advocate Makhado Ramabulana, a BA and LLB graduate from the University of Venda is the Pension Ombud. Some of the responsibilities of the Ombud will be to engage on matters relating to unreasonable delays in processing of payments; failure of officials to perform their duties in terms of the fund’s law and rules; breaking of a commitment without a justifiable reason and providing incorrect or misleading information.
Adv Ramabulana’s profile
Adv Ramabulana joined the Cape Bar where he practised as an advocate from July 1999 to July 2004. The Adv. has held various roles within the pension funds industry including in the office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator, Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) and remains a Trustee on various Pension Fund Boards.
He also completed courses in advanced advocacy and International Executive Development Programmes. In October 2019, Adv Ramabulana was employed by the GEPF to assist with the formation of the GEPO and he took up the position of Ombud from July 1, 2021.
Lodging a complaint
Detailed guidelines on how to lodge a complaint is available for members, pensioners and beneficiaries on the GEPO website at www.gepo.co.za with the option to lodge the complaint on the website.
Complaints can also be submitted in writing or emailed to the: Office of the Ombudsman; Attention: Complaints Manager, PO Box 11005 Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, Email: enquiries@gepo.co.za Telephone: 012-110-4950
