Media Release: Garden Route Skills Mecca bags top honours for service excellence

20 October 2026

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has achieved top honours at the 2026 Western Cape Provincial Government’s Service Excellence Awards, where its flagship Garden Route Skills Mecca (GRSM) programme was awarded Gold for the Best Municipal Project category.

Presented at Paarl on 16 October 2027, the award acknowledges the outstanding achievements of the GRSM. Since 2017, the initiative has attracted more than R157 million in external funding, delivered more than 31 projects and provided skills development and employment opportunities to more than 3 891 unemployed people, with a strong focus on youth Garden Routers, particularly the youth, across all seven Garden Route local municipalities.

GRDM Strategic Manager, Thembani Loliwe, who leads the programme, said the award is a tribute to the learners, host employers, training partners, and funders who have driven this success. “When the devastating fires swept through Knysna and Bitou, communities lost more than homes and businesses; many people lost hope for their future. The Skills Mecca was created as a response to that challenge.

“We moved away from fragmented interventions and built an integrated system where training providers, funding partners, employers, and communities work towards a shared goal,” said Loliwe.

“Our success is not measured by the number of certificates issued, but by the lives transformed, households supported, and people who have been given a pathway back into employment and opportunity.”

Executive Mayor, Ald. Marais Kruger congratulated the team and dedicated the award to the people of the Garden Route. “For thousands of families, a monthly stipend and a workplace placement have meant food on the table, school fees paid and a young person with real experience on their CV. That is service excellence in its truest sense. I am proud that a district municipality in the Western Cape has built a model that others in South Africa and beyond would like to duplicate.”

Acting Municipal Manager, Nthabeleng Raisa-Mlandu said this recognition confirms the value of working together across government. “This award shows what is possible when the GRDM, the seven local municipalities in the Garden Route, the Western Cape Government, SETAs, TVET colleges and business commit to one plan. The GRSM is no longer a programme; we are moving to institutionalising it as a permanent part of how this district delivers skills aligned to industry needs. Our task now is to grow it and ensure that more residents can walk through its doors.”

ORIGINS OF THE GRSM

The GRSM emerged from a time of a crisis. In 2017, devastating wildfires swept through Knysna and Bitou, destroying homes, businesses, and livelihoods, while leaving tthousands of residents without work in key sectors such as tourism, forestry, agriculture and construction.

Prior to the disaster, skills development in the district was characterised by fragmented efforts, with municipalities, training providers and employers working in isolation, and available funding streams not being fully utilised.

Recognising the need for a more coordinated approach, GRDM developed South Africa’s first municipality-led, fully integrated regional skills ecosystem bringing together communities, employers, government, training providers and funding partners under one integrated system designed to connect people with meaningful economic opportunities.

KEY MILESTONES OF THE GRSM

• active projects grew from zero in 2017 to 31 today, demonstrating the rapid expansion of the initiative.
• more than R175 million in external investment has been mobilised to support skills development and employment opportunities across the district.
• more than 3 891 beneficiaries: unemployed residents have participated in accredited training, learnerships, workplace learning, artisan recognition, and driver training
• with most learners receiving monthly stipend, an estimated 15 564 household members have benefited directly from the programme
• learners have been placed with host employers across the district, and number of those placements resulting in permanent  employment opportunities
• programmes span a wide range of sectors, incduding driver’s licence training, firefighting, plumbing, electrical trades and artisan recognition, cooks, In-service training, construction etc.

The programme has attracted growing interest from municipalities and other stakeholders across South Africa and beyond, who are exploring opportunities to replicate the model.

The Western Cape Service Excellence Awards honour public sector projects that deliver measurable, resident-centred results. The GRSM’s win reflects its alignment with the Provincial Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 priority pf helping businesses grow and create jobs, and equipping residents to get those jobs.

FUTURE OF THE GRSM

Going forward, the GRDM has proposed a Shared Services Model that seeks to establish a sustainable, collaborative funding and governance arrangement between GRDM and its seven local municipalities to secure the long-term future of the GRSM. Through pooled resources, shared financial responsibility and coordinated planning, municipalities can collectively invest in this regional initiative, ensuring that it remains responsive to industry needs and accessible to communities throughout the district. By investing in the Skills Mecca, municipalities are investing in the long-term development of the region’s human capital, strengthening local economies and improving the livelihoods of residents across the Garden Route.

Residents interested in upcoming Skills Mecca opportunities can follow the Garden Route District Municipality on Facebook or visit www.skillsmecca.gardenroute.gov.za.

Feature image: Acting Municipal Manager, Nthabeleng Raisa-Mlandu with Thembani Loliwe, the GRDM Strategic Manager and Skills Mecca Programme lead showcasing the Service Excellence Awards

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