Municipalities urged to harness innovation to transform service delivery

Show Voice Options Municipalities across South Africa have been urged to adopt innovative technologies and foster a culture of innovation as an essential step towards enhancing service delivery and building a more responsive local government in the country. Delivering the keynote address at the 2nd Municipal Innovation Recognition Awards (MIRA) in Durban yesterday, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Nomalungelo Gina emphasised that adopting innovative technologies was not optional, but essential, especially for rural municipalities that continue to face deep-rooted development challenges. She pointed to recent reports by the Auditor-General, highlighting persistent underperformance in municipalities, and said that repeating outdated methods will not yield different results. “Innovation allows us to leapfrog to better outcomes,” she said. “New technologies disrupt the status quo, reduce costs, and streamline processes, ultimately empowering citizens and restoring public trust in local government.” The MIRA awards are an initiative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). The awards recognise municipalities that demonstrate leadership in applying innovative solutions to improve essential services such as water provision, waste management, and citizen engagement. Ms Gina urged municipalities to embed innovation as a standard way of working. “We must transform the culture of our municipalities to embrace new ideas, smarter tools, and evidence-based approaches to delivering services. Innovation is not a luxury reserved for metros; it is a necessity for every municipality, including those in rural areas,” she said. The awards are informed by the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index (MIMI), which was introduced in 2021 as a decision-support tool to assess the innovation capacity of municipalities. In 2025, a total of 57 towns participated in the rollout of MIMI and all received awards at the ceremony. Among trailblazers were the City of Cape Town which received the Trailblazing Innovation Award for its Digital Wayleave Management System, which consolidates and streamlines development-related permissions into a single, web-based platform. The City of Tshwane, Emalahleni, eThekwini, and Waterberg District Municipality received Special Recognition Awards for achieving Innovation Maturity Level 4, indicating that their innovation processes are consistent, well-managed, and embedded within their respective municipalities. Municipalities such as Vhembe, Waterberg, Modimolle-Mookgopong, and uMgungundlovu were also honoured for successfully applying innovation within specific departments. Although not yet institutionalised across the entire municipality, their innovation efforts are considered promising and repeatable. The Deputy Minister congratulated all the winners of MIRA 2025 and encouraged more municipalities to follow suit. “This recognition should inspire others to embark on their innovation journeys. In the future, we want to see all municipalities reaching the required innovation threshold, and I believe we are getting closer to that reality.” A key milestone at the event was the official launch of the Municipal Innovation Fund (MIF), a dedicated funding instrument designed to support municipalities in developing and implementing innovative projects that enhance basic service delivery. The Fund, managed by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), will provide up to R3 million per project for qualifying municipalities to develop and scale up technologies that deliver measurable community impact. Funding will be prioritised for municipalities that have reached Level 4 or higher on the MIMI scale and that have demonstrated sound governance and clean audits. Approved projects must be implemented through dedicated accounts with regular reporting on progress, financial management, and community benefits. The ceremony also featured addresses by representatives of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, SALGA President Councillor Bheke Stofile, eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba, and Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Namane Dickson Masemola. ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Media enquiries, Ms Veronica Mohapeloa, Tel: 083 400 5750 Email: veronica.mohapeloa@dst.gov.za