Safe passage out of and back into South Africa has been extended for those awaiting outcomes of their long-term visa applications, waiver requests or appeals. The enormous visa processing backlog in South Africa has been significantly reduced during the past months. However, some long outstanding applications remain, and the elevated rejection rate of late has led to high numbers of appeals in the system.

To accommodate those affected by these circumstances, Minister of Home Affairs Schreiber has once more extended the travel exemption until 31 March 2025. Those who applied for waivers or long-term temporary residence visas and not received an outcome by 30 November 2024, or who have appealed a negative decision, may continue their activities as per their last visas, OR leave the country by 31 March 2025without being banned from returning.

For specific and detailed information, kindly contact our office on 021 462 3184, or send an email to info@imcosa.co.za. Note our festive season office closure: 10am SAST on 20th December 2024 – 3rd January 2025, opening 6 January 2025.

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reports by the Auditor-General, highlighting persistent underperformance in municipalities, and said that repeating outdated methods will not yield different results.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

Although he was not a top achiever in high school, Gerrie Fourie became the CEO of Capitec Bank, one of South Africas most successful banks with a market capitalisation of over R400 billion.

Born in 1964, Fourie spent his early childhood in Wepener, a small town in the eastern Free State. “I spent my first six or seven years in Wepener,” he recalled.

“Then my parents moved to Bloemfontein, but on weekends I was back on the farm.” Fourie learnt a lot about business from his entrepreneur father, who never worked for a salary or for somebody else.

As a young boy he would spend Friday afternoons and weekends with his dad installing telephone poles across the Free State.

Working with his dad taught him not only about the value of hard work, but also to think innovatively to solve problems.

Despite the early exposure to business through his father, Fourie was far from an academic. “I was not a very good student at school. I was more into sport, so studying and maths came second,” he said.

He matriculated from Grey College in Bloemfontein in 1981 and, after completing military service, moved to Stellenbosch in 1984 to pursue a BCom degree, later followed by an honours in accounting at Stellenbosch University.

It was at university that Fouries mindset began to shift. “It was actually when I started my BCom Accounting that I got serious about school,” Fourie said.

“By my second year, I decided this is what I want to do, and I really went for it. I didnt want to work for a salary. I wanted to build my own business.”

Fourie began his career at Stellenbosch Farmers Winery (SFW), working in financial planning before managing the companys sales and distribution.

His trajectory was swift. “I was lucky. At 27, I was asked to run the SFW operations in KwaZulu-Natal. At 32, I was given the old Transvaal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng.”

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has put measures in place to ensure that all hospitals in the province have adequate linen to cater for the demand in emergency care during the festive season.

MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko conducted an oversight support visit at various facilities in the province as part of the GDoH's safer festive season campaign. The MEC was furnished with an assurance that healthcare facilities are equipped and have adequate linen for patients and functional laundries and sluice rooms.

"We are confident that all our facilities will be able to fully operate this festive season. There is no service that will not be rendered due to linen shortage. Most of our hospitals have stockpiles of linen ready for emergencies and influx of patients," said the MEC.

Tembisa Hospital's laundry services supervisor, Alfred Shezi confirmed that the facility has adequate linen and patient garments to ensue uninterrupted services this festive season.

"We are ready to accommodate and deliver the necessary healthcare services during this period. We are going to ensure that our patients have two sets of clothing for the day and linen that has been soiled will be washed using our sluice room and laundry so that we always have stock," said Shezi.

Meanwhile, the GDoH has reassured the public that several measures continue to be implemented to ensure the provision of clean linen to patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBAH).

"As previously alluded to, the facility's laundry has ageing infrastructure which requires an overhaul. In the meantime, a service provider has been appointed to carry out repairs on the laundry equipment to restore full functionality as quickly as possible. Currently three tunnel washers are out of service, with only five driers operational in tunnel washer number two. Already one out of four ironers has been successfully repaired," said Motalatale Modiba, GDoH Head of Communication.

In the interim, CHBAH linens are being laundered at Dunswart Provincial Laundry on a daily basis to ensure a consistent supply of clean linen to patients. A total of 106 staff members are deployed at the laundry to boost the operation during the day and night shifts.

Additionally, external two laundry service providers have also been appointed to further support these efforts. Already two 5-ton trucks have delivered clean linen over the weekend.

Processes are underway to restore the CHBAH laundry to better functionality as speedily as possible.