 | Drakenstein Municipality receives trailblazer award for innovative indigent consumer management
14 August 2025 | Press Releases |
14 August 2025
Drakenstein Municipality has been recognised nationally for the groundbreaking, innovative and compassionate way in which it manages its indigent consumer support and database.
At the Municipal Innovation Recognition Awards (MIRA) 2025 ceremony recently held in Durban, the Municipality received a prestigious award for trailblazing innovations for service delivery for its transformative project, “Drakenstein Indigent Management System – Transforming Indigent Management Through Technology and Compassion". Initiated during the 2021/22 financial year, this ongoing project reimagines indigent support by blending advanced technology with human-centred service principles.
The MIRA Awards, a collaborative initiative by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), celebrate municipalities that are pioneering bold, tech-forward solutions to improve public service delivery.
Drakenstein Municipality's project also stood out among submissions from 57 participating municipalities in the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index (MIMI) programme, which serves as a vital tool for assessing municipalities' readiness and capacity to adopt innovative solutions to improve service delivery. The Municipality received a MIMI Recognition Award, underscoring its forward-thinking approach to governance and digital transformation.
In her keynote address at the MIRA 2025 ceremony on 30 June 2025, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, commended all participating municipalities for their resilience and innovation in the face of service delivery challenges.
“Evidence abounds that municipalities that adopt innovation and new technologies improve the quality of service," she said. “Innovation leads to the effective delivery of basic services, such as water, sanitation, electricity, and waste management. Innovative technologies disrupt the status quo and replace outdated legacy systems of service delivery, which are often a source of public complaints. In this context, municipalities that adopt technological solutions reduce costs in delivering services because technology tends to streamline processes, without human error."
Dr Johan Leibbrandt, City Manager of Drakenstein Municipality, said: “I want to congratulate our Finance, Revenue, and Indigent Management team on this remarkable achievement – a homegrown innovation. This not only reflects the Municipality's empathy and responsiveness to the needs of our community, but also helps to future-proof our Municipality."
He added: “We remain committed to the people of Drakenstein and continue to meet them halfway in our efforts to keep municipal bills as affordable as possible. Our indigent benefits are more than the national norm."
Drakenstein Municipality's dual recognition reflects its unwavering dedication to uplifting vulnerable residents, building local economies, and fostering a culture of innovation to meet the evolving needs of its community.
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About Drakenstein Municipality
Located an hour's drive from Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, Drakenstein Municipality is one of the country's most financially sound, well-governed, stable and sustainable municipalities. The Municipality has been rated South Africa's number one secondary city and has, since 2011, achieved 10 clean audits. Boasting the largest economy in the Cape Winelands, Drakenstein is home to 311 601 residents and includes the historic Winelands towns of Paarl and Wellington.
Embodying its vision of “a city of excellence", the Municipality prides itself on providing its residents, businesses, investors and visitors with excellent services and well-maintained, advanced infrastructure. As Southern Africa's first self-declared Fair Trade City and the fourth in Africa, Drakenstein Municipality is serious about building a sustainable future, and has garnered various awards for its commitment to sustainable and environmentally conscious practices. Drakenstein is also recognised for having one of the highest growth potentials in the Western Cape. As a progressive business and investment region and a city geared for growth, it constantly attracts new development.
For more, visit https://www.drakenstein.gov.za/ or follow the Municipality on Facebook at @DrakensteinMunicipality, Instagram at @drakensteinmunicipality, LinkedIn at Drakenstein Municipality and YouTube at @DrakensteinMunicipality1.
Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
For media enquiries, contact: Riana Geldenhuys, Manager: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality, on 021 807 6390, 082 460 5554 or rianag@drakenstein.gov.za.
