South African municipalities must adopt innovative technologies and foster a culture of innovation to enhance service delivery and build more responsive local government.
So says Dr Nomalungelo Gina, science, technology and innovation deputy minister, speaking this week at the second annual Municipal Innovation Recognition Awards (MIRA) in Durban.
The deputy minister’s comments come as recent reports by the auditor-general have highlighted persistent underperformance in municipalities.
Gina pointed out that outdated methods will not yield different results. She emphasised that adopting innovative technologies is not optional but essential, especially for rural municipalities that continue to face deep-rooted development challenges.
“Innovation allows us to leapfrog to better outcomes. New technologies disrupt the status quo, reduce costs and streamline processes, ultimately empowering citizens and restoring public trust in local government.”
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.”
The MIRA initiative is led by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, in partnership with the South African Local Government Association and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It aims to spotlight and celebrate innovative municipal projects that demonstrate creativity, responsiveness and transformative approaches to service delivery.
Furthermore, the awards showcase is 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.
The City of Cape Town was among the pioneers, and received the trailblazing innovation award for its Digital Wayleave Management System that consolidates and streamlines development-related permissions into a single, web-based platform.
The City of Tshwane, Emalahleni, eThekwini and Waterberg District Municipality received the special recognition awards for achieving MIMI innovation maturity level four, indicating their innovation processes are consistent, well-managed and embedded within their respective municipalities.
Vhembe, Waterberg, Modimolle-Mookgopong and uMgungundlovu municipalities 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.
Congratulating the winners of MIRA 2025, the deputy minister said: “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.”
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