Kouga Local Municipality continues to lead the way in digital transformation and service excellence, earning high praise at the prestigious Municipal Innovation Recognition Awards (MIRA).
The municipality achieved an impressive score of 3, topped only by the City of Cape Town with a score of 4.
Out of 51 municipalities that entered, Kouga was one of just 11 to reach this level of excellence, and the only municipality in the Eastern Cape to do so.
Organised by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) in collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the MIRA Awards celebrate municipalities driving scalable, forward-thinking solutions to enhance service delivery, including water provision, waste management, infrastructure coordination and citizen engagement.
Kouga Deputy Municipal Manager, Dawie de Jager, praised his team’s dedication and ingenuity: “We have taken a massive information technology leap.
“A significant portion of our innovation is developed internally, allowing us to create tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of our municipality. This includes the design and continual enhancement of advanced, user-focused systems that support efficient service delivery, accountability, and transparency.
“The municipality is proud to be at the forefront of municipal innovation, boasting some of the most sophisticated and effective municipal software systems in the country.
“Furthermore, as a cloud-based organisation, we are boosting our data integrity and availability. Service delivery remains our priority, and staying on the cutting edge of technology enables us to serve our residents better.”
Maalia Rossouw, Kouga Manager of Administration and Auxiliary Services, explained that the assessment process involved an extensive online survey and the submission of a detailed portfolio of evidence showcasing the municipality’s innovations.
Among Kouga’s standout technological achievements were:
• The Service Delivery Dashboard – a national first, built in Power BI to enhance Customer Care Services through real-time data analytics
• A forward-thinking Document Management System
• The introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to improve municipal service delivery
• Live-streamed council meetings, promoting transparency and inspiring other municipalities to follow suit.
Projects in progress include smart water and electricity metering, leak detection systems, suction tanker tracking, and an upgraded Incident Command Centre integrated with advanced GIS technology.
De Jager also highlighted internal innovations such as the development of the municipality’s own HR Intranet and e-learning platforms, supporting staff development and operational efficiency.
Kouga Information and Technology Services Manager, Mbuysile Goduka, reaffirmed Kouga’s commitment to continuous improvement: “We are on the right track. As a growing municipality, we have ample room to innovate, especially in strengthening citizen-facing processes and promoting self-service engagement.”
Rossouw added that Kouga’s next award submission should be a collaborative effort that reflects the full scope of the municipality’s dynamic projects across departments.
Despite limited budgets and a lean structure without a dedicated innovation department, Kouga’s success story stands as a testament to what can be achieved through vision, collaboration, and resourcefulness.
“We face the same procurement and resource challenges as others,” said De Jager, “but we remain committed to building a smart, responsive municipality for all our residents.”
