The following thirteen categories will be awarded on Friday, 16 October 2026!
Best Collaborative Programme/Project
This category recognises collaborative initiatives involving government departments, communities, civil society or private sector partners that demonstrate the effective application of the Whole of Government Approach (WOGA) and Whole of Society Approach (WOSA) in improving service delivery.
The finalists are:
- Khulisa Care - Healthy Moms Thriving Babies (Health and Wellness)
- DEDAT-FMID Collaboration (Economic Development and Tourism)
- Youth Development Programme (Agriculture)
- Citrusdal Flood Damage Project (Infrastructure)
- Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Programme (Infrastructure)
Best Frontline Service Delivery Employee
This category recognises an individual public servant who delivers services directly to residents and consistently demonstrates exceptional commitment to service excellence, professionalism, responsiveness, and adherence to Batho Pele principles.
The finalists are:
- Elroy Stuurman (Social Development)
- Linda Nkani (Department of the Premier)
- Kath Barry (Health and Wellness)
- Dorothea van Tonder (Social Development)
- Jade Damons (Health and Wellness)
Best Frontline Service Delivery Team
This category recognises teams that work directly with residents and demonstrate
outstanding collaboration, commitment and responsiveness in delivering high-quality services.The finalists are:
- Provincial Treasury Procurement Performance Monitoring (Provincial Treasury)
- GO GEORGE Team (Mobility)
- Laingsburg SDA Team (Social Development)
- Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) (Local Government)
- Municipal Infrastructure Support Team (Local Government)
Best Public Service Innovator (Employee)
This category recognises a public servant who has introduced innovative ideas or solutions that improve service delivery, operational efficiency or organisational performance.
The finalists are:
- Selelekele Makotanyane (Infrastructure)
- Melvin Arendse (Mobility)
- Dr Jonathan Timothy Oettle (Health and Wellness)
- David Hanly (Environmental Affairs and Development Planning)
- Jason Julies (Health and Wellness)
Best Public Service Innovator (Team/Project)
This category recognises teams or projects that have successfully introduced innovative approaches to improving service delivery, operational efficiency, or government processes.
The finalists are:
- Western Cape Climate Change Response Strategy (WCCCRS): Vision 2050
(Environmental Affairs and Development Planning) - WCED Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening Tool (Education)
- WCDoA Supply Chain Management (Agriculture)
- Jobseeker Travel Voucher Programme (JTVP) (Mobility)
- Agricultural Producer Support and Development (Agriculture)
Best Public Service Leader
This category recognises leaders who demonstrate exceptional leadership in promoting service excellence, strengthening organisational performance, and fostering a culture of accountability and innovation within the public service.
The finalists are:
- Noluvuyo Magadla (Agriculture)
- Jewel Jonkers (Education)
- Vonita Thompson (Health and Wellness)
- Colin Deiner (Local Government)
- Bernie Macmahon (Mobility)
Best Red Tape Reduction/Ease of Doing Business Project
This category recognises initiatives that have successfully reduced administrative burdens, simplified government processes, or improved the regulatory environment to make it easier for residents, businesses, and stakeholders to interact with government. The award recognises projects that enhance efficiency, transparency and accessibility of government services while promoting economic growth and service delivery improvement.
The finalists are:
- Swartland One Stop Shop – Ready Model – Removing Red Tape Before It Exists (Swartland Municipality)
- Streamlining ePS Procurement Documentation and Evaluation Processes and Timelines Project (Social Development)
- Heritage Western Cape's and SAHRIS integration project (Cultural Affairs and Sport)
- Building Development Department (Saldanha Bay Municipality)
Best Support Service Employee
This category recognises an employee working in a support or administrative function who demonstrates exceptional dedication, professionalism, and contribution to improving internal services that support effective service delivery.
The finalists are:
- Mary James (Agriculture)
- Christel Bothma (Health and Wellness)
- Natholing Hammond (Local Government)
- Elmarie Sales (Social Development)
- Zenovia Parker (Agriculture)
Best Support Service Team
This category recognises teams operating within support or administrative environments that contribute significantly to improving internal efficiency, organisational effectiveness, and overall service delivery.
The finalists are:
- ECKED Circuit 1 Learning Support (Education)
- TB Telehealth Project (Health and Wellness)
- Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) (Police Oversight and Community Safety)
- Crisis Response Team to USAID funding withdrawal (Health and Wellness)
- Non-Metro Unit- Rental Housing Tribunal (RHT) (Infrastructure)
Best Municipality
This category recognizes the district municipalities that demonstrate excellence in regional leadership, legislative compliance, and the effective allocation of resources to support constituent local areas.
The finalists are:
Metro/Secondary/Large Local Municipalities
- Mosselbay
- City of Cape Town
- Drakenstein
District
- Cape Winelands
- West Coast
Small/Rural
- Langeberg
- Swartland
- Matzikama
- Bergrivier
Best Municipal Project
This category recognises municipalities that have implemented projects or initiatives that significantly improve municipal service delivery, strengthen governance, or enhance the quality of life of residents through innovative, effective and sustainable interventions.
The finalists are:
Metro/Secondary/Large Local Municipalities
- Going Home Project (Drakenstein)
- Ocean is a Home Programme (City of Cape Town)
- Onrus Catchment-to-Coast (C2C) Project (Overstrand)
- Spine Road Depot and Electrification Project (City of Cape Town)
- Hermanus Public Library (Overstrand)
District
- Municipal Health & Air Quality Services Department (Overberg)
- CWDM Invasive Alien Vegetation Management: Natural Resource Management
Programme; Water & Biodiversity Conservation (Cape Winelands) - Weskus Regional Landfill (West Coast)
- Interactive Theatre Rollout 2025 (Cape Winelands)
- Garden Route Skills Mecca Project (Garden Route)
Small/Rural
- Local Voluntary Review for the implementation of the SDG (Bergrivier)
- Witzenberg Electronic Indigent Management System (Witzenberg)
- Swartland Social Regeneration – GBVF & Dahlia Centre (Swartland)
- Joint Operations Centre (JOC) NPC (Mosselbay)
- Upgrade of Robertson Wastewater Treatment Works (Langeberg)
Best Resident Performance (Individual)
This category recognises a resident who has made an outstanding voluntary contribution towards improving service delivery, community wellbeing, or collaboration between communities and government.
The finalists are:
- Celestine Lourens
- Zoe Prinsloo
- Lindela Mjenxane
- Janine Fabe
- Michael-Daniel Bam
Best Resident Performance (Team/Project)
This category recognises community groups, organisations or resident-led initiatives that contribute meaningfully to improving service delivery, strengthening community development, or supporting government programmes.
The finalists are:
- Beyond Expectation Environmental Project (BEEP)
- Agri Western Cape
- Paternoster Project NPC
- Eagle’s Nest Learning Foundation
- Beautiful Gate South Africa (BGSA)