CPSI

Celebrating 15 years

Innovating the future

2016 cpsi

PUBLIC SECTOR

Innovation Awards

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

1

Denel SOC Ltd Global Supplier of World-Class Defence Products and Solutions Operating in the defence, security, aerospace and related technology industries

About us The Denel Group, with capabilities in defence, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, is a South African state-owned company that provides innovative defence, security, maritime, aerospace and related technology solutions to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). State-owned but commercially driven, the company also provides products and solutions to selected clients in global markets.

Young innovators at Denel are doing pioneering research and producing technology that contributes to the creation of new industries in South Africa. Some of the recent breakthroughs in engineering and technology achieved by young employees of Denel, one of the top 100 defence manufacturers in the world, are highlighted.

Denel has invested more than R467 million in research and development over the past year and expanded its partnerships with research organisations, the academic community and companies in the defence and manufacturing sectors.

1

2

SARA Project

Tactical Observation Ball System

Preshni Govender (30) Puseletso Matlala (28) Naadira Hassim (26)

Jason Scott (23) Nirmal Nagindas (24) Angelique Strauss (24) Charita Bhikha (24) Nikaya Naicker (23) Niresh Brijnath (23)

Denel is developing a new Small African Regional Aircraft – SARA – to serve regional destinations that are currently not accessible for existing passenger planes. On this groundbreaking project, we are collaborating with academics and postgraduate students at local universities to develop a technology demonstrator.

Through this process, we are creating new horizons for young engineers and artisans who are entering the industry.

These are three of our young female engineers involved in the project.

This group of five interns developed a tactical observation ball that can be used by soldiers for surveillance without putting their lives in danger.

The ball is equipped with a camera and feeds information back to a smartphone.

3

Robot to Detect Landmines

4

Oryx Mission Planning System

Selaelo Mojela (31) Isak Sokuwe (34)

Lindokuhle Mpanza (30) Anish Punnen (32)

The two developed a robot for Mechem, a division of Denel, that minimises the risk on human lives and will also drive cost efficiency. The robot scans for landmines, replacing the need for human and canine intervention as used previously.

These software engineers developed a computerised Oryx Mission Planning System used by the South African Air Force pilots on the Denelmanufactured Oryx aircraft to plan their missions and share information across locations.

5

DMG-5 Machine Gun Redesign Marumo Talane (32) Dakalo Nekhumbe (25) Phindile Mashaba (26) Under guidance, three young mechanical engineering graduates took on the challenge of designing and developing a lightweight, yet powerful and reliable, machine gun, culminating in the DMG-5.

The weapon that emerged from the engineering team represents a major leap forward in weapons design.

A weight reduction of almost 20% has been achieved – the DMG-5 tips the scales at a mere 8.3 kg, compared to the 10.3 kg of the standard SS77.

The young engineers stayed with the project from design, to modelling, to testing and production, and were also on hand when the new DMG-5 was first unveiled to the public at the Africa, Aerospace and Defence show in 2016.

It is easily monitored through its on-board camera and has a wireless route that sends information back.

facebook.com/denelsoc

twitter.com/denelsoc

marketing@denel.co.za

youtube.com/denelsoc

denel_soc

www.denel.co.za

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

3

iNsdi e 06

Minister’s Message

07

Deputy Minister’s Message

08

Executive Director’s Message

09

CPSI Overview

11

Adjudication panel chair Chose Choeu

Naspers

12

Innovating for a changing world

14

Media24: Moving with the times

15

MultiChoice: Enriching lives

Category D: Winner

16

ShowMax: Disruptive innovation

17

Act like a founder

36 Innovative Enhancements of Internal Systems of Government:

18

Innovation ambassador Phuti Ragophala

19

Expert leadership drives innovation

20 Message of support from UNDP SA country director Walid Badawi

Revenue Enhancement Strategy

Runners-Up 39

Category A

Amputee Patient Care

21

Finalists’ Listing

Cable Theft Prevention

The Innovation Hub

Energy Saving

22

The state of innovation in SA

25

Leading the way forward

41

Category B

Cape Farm Mapper

Innovator of the Year 28

Limpopo Provincial Treasury

Revenue Enhancement Strategy

Category A: Winner 30 Innovative Solutions Reducing the Cost of Delivery Services: Saving Blood, Saving Lives

Category B: Winner 32 Innovative Use of ICTs for Effective Service Delivery: Electronic Queue Management System

Category C: Winner 34

Innovative Service Delivery Institutions: Contractor Development Programme

4

Innovating the future

E-Learning for Health

42

Category C

Rural Youth Development

Early Childhood Disability Intervention

Flow Management Project

43

Category C

Chronic Disease Management

Hospital Waste Management

Brought to you by:

PUBLISHED BY

Special Awards 44

Special Ministerial Award

GEMS Healthcare Award

45

North-West University

Continuous research and innovation

56

Past CPSI Award Winners

www.theinnovationhub.com

www.3smedia.co.za

publisher’s Comment

Innovative problem-solving

C

ommon goals in all sectors of the economy are improvements in productivity, efficiency and cost reduction. As a rule, reassessing processes, procedures, products and services, when problems arise or new opportunities present themselves, is a good policy. It creates the climate and necessary perspectives for innovative thinking.

In following engineer Geinrich Altshuller’s first rule of inventive problem solving, wherein he says, “Look elsewhere first before inventing a solution because someone, somewhere else, has probably solved your problem already,” the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) publishes this book in order to share the innovations achieved in government and quasigovernment structures, and by private sector contributors. These innovations can be replicated right across the country, in equivalent structures

thought

cr

vit i t a e

y

and institutions, to achieve, through interaction, a combined total effect that will be greater than the sum of the individual contributions – which is what we refer to as effective synergy.

Examples of this are Edendale Hospital’s curtailment of blood wastage and cost reduction through the implementation of a simple, yet impactful, innovation. Building on this, the Road Accident Fund has used technology to simplify and accelerate claims processing while, at the same time, improving relations with claimants.

In the Free State, the education, training and development of contractors to assist with the maintenance of roads has realised a reduction in road deaths. And the most measurable innovation comes from the Limpopo province, where, through upgraded and improved systems, the Provincial Treasury has increased its “own receipt” revenue by 277%. These are just a few of the innovations achieved and shared in this book.

innovation

In recognising these innovations, the CPSI hopes that these inspirational achievements will motivate others to adopt and implement these innovations, thereby realising the associated benefits, as well as to innovate their own problem-solving solutions and to creatively take advantage of new opportunities.

In the final analysis, it’s all in the mind – your mind.

benefi

t

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

5

Minister’s Message

Together we move

South Africa forward

Using various innovative tools and platforms, the CPSI continues to lead public sector institutions in finding cost-effective and innovative solutions to improve service delivery to citizens. ” Adv Ngoako Ramatlhodi Minister for Public Service and Administration

T

his coffee-table book outlines the work of the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) that has been carried out successfully for 14 years now. The CPSI is tasked to inculcate and nurture the culture of innovation in the public sector as a whole, with an objective to improve service delivery and help modernise public administration.

In accordance with our mantra of “together we move South Africa forward”, the government of South Africa continues to deliver on its commitment to tackle the historic inequalities among its citizens as defined by the uneven distribution of vital government services. As a result, more people in South Africa are now enjoying vital services such as proper healthcare, education, housing, water and sanitation.

Through various massive government public works programmes and public-private

6

Innovating the future

A message from Advocate Ngoako A. Ramahlodi (Dr)(MP), Minister for Public Service and Administration.

partnerships, we have created more job opportunities while widening our social safety net to effectively turn the tide against poverty.

We have also put in place effective measures to combat crime. To challenge ourselves further, government adopted the National Development Plan (NDP), thereby embarking on a relentless journey that prioritises making specific choices for a higher growth trajectory.

The NDP is a roadmap that sets a developmental course towards a vision – dubbed Vision 2030 – of a South Africa with unprecedented economic and social growth.

Vision 2030

Vision 2030 demands major adjustments to the public sector, both in policy and operations. These include the strengthening of inter-governmental relations for integrated, collaborative and seamless service delivery at all levels – national, provincial and local – supported by all other institutions of government working together. These adjustments also include having a national system of innovation that permeates the culture of the public service, business and society to guarantee South Africa’s competitiveness. This underscores the relevance

and significance of the CPSI’s role in the achievement of Vision 2030.

The CPSI is automatically positioned as a catalyst for cross-sectoral and inter-sphere collaboration and co-innovation in the public service. The CPSI continues to play a significant role in supporting various frontline public sector institutions to fast-track the delivery of services in accordance with Vision 2030. Using various innovative tools and platforms, the CPSI continues to lead public sector institutions in finding cost-effective and innovative solutions to improve service delivery to citizens.

The programmes that the CPSI runs annually provide invaluable opportunities for information and knowledge sharing among public officials, while also encouraging learning and the exchange of valuable experiences and expertise.

This ensures that the wealth of knowledge present in our public service permeates throughout sectors to nurture a cadre of innovators. Most importantly, by recognising, celebrating and rewarding excellence in innovation and creativity, the CPSI ensures that the spark of innovation in our country grows into a flame that will light our way into a brighter future, in which all citizens enjoy equal access to vital services.

Deputy Minister’s Message

Tapping into the wealth

of creative thinking A message from Ms Ayanda Dlodlo (MP), Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration.

A

ll citizens have expectations from their government. These may be unrealistic or may, rightfully, relate to delivering on the election manifesto of the ruling party. Most citizens’ expectations are, however, closely related to satisfying their basic needs: subsistence; being, and feeling, safe and protected; being able to learn, understand and explore your own creativity; participating in society and decision-making; being able to play and rest; being respected for who we are; and, most of all, having our hard-fought freedom protected.

Citizens, thus, expect government to have the capacity to intervene with vital services where these basic needs are threatened. This mandatory obligation, first articulated in the Freedom Charter, enshrined in our Constitution and summed up in the key priorities set by government, is now cemented into the targeted outcomes of the National Development Plan. As government, we pride ourselves on the many milestones that we

have achieved in delivering quality services to our citizens.

We have come a long way since expressing our dreams in the Freedom Charter. We are, at the same time, painfully aware of the many challenges that still lie ahead as we engage with the sophisticated post-apartheid society that we have created. Our citizens’ needs remain very diverse and, often, the remnants of apartheid are still with us. Our citizens, as most other global citizens, are looking towards dynamic, creative and innovative solutions to their challenges.

As government, we need to respond accordingly, with the agility of the vibrant government that we are. In the CPSI, we have created an agile and vibrant organisation that is rising to the challenge.

The CPSI will continue to tap into the wealth of innovation and creative thinking among public servants, citizens and the private sector alike, as it has been doing, to unearth and replicate innovative projects and solutions that respond to the challenges set out above.

As government, we pride ourselves on the many milestones that we have achieved in delivering quality services to our citizens.”

Collaboration and participation

The collaborative initiatives between CPSI and various government institutions, including those in our National System of Innovation, continue to yield a number of innovative projects reflected on in this book – innovations whose positive impacts are largely felt by those ordinary citizens historically marginalised in many respects in their lives.

South Africa’s capacity for innovation compares favourably with that of other developing nations. That said, as a country, we have to challenge ourselves to work even harder and smarter to fast-track a quality of life worthy of our Vision 2030.

The CPSI’s participation in various international forums, such as the United Nations and the African Union, is an important area of work to learn from, benchmark against, and share with the best in the world on governance and developmental matters, such as the post-2015 sustainability agenda.

The continued engagement of the organisation in these structures on issues of innovation at an international level affords South Africa a vital opportunity to be among the world’s innovation trendsetters.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

7

executive director’s message

Ms Thuli Radebe takes great pride in the work done at the CPSI over the last 15 years.

Institutionalising innovation

in the public service

T

he purpose of establishing the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) is to identify, recognise and motivate innovation that is directed at achieving measurable performance improvements across the broad spectrum of public service delivery functions throughout all levels of government – central, provincial and municipal, as well as state owned enterprises and private sector contributors.

To fulfill its mandate, the CPSI endeavours to create a climate in which innovation is prized, encouraged, rewarded, implemented and mainstreamed.

This celebratory coffee table book will look back at what has been achieved by the CPSI over the past 15 years; it will also provide an exclusive overview of the various initiatives, such as the awards programme, innovation conference, training programmes, and innovation centre that have been achieved by the CPSI over the years.

Our government faces a daunting challenge to execute the developmental agenda as set out in the National Development Plan (NDP). Vision 2030 of the NDP envisages a state where all citizens impartially enjoy all government services. This ideal goal requires profound collaboration and synergy at institutional level that includes

policy and strategy alignment and compatibility of systems and processes to achieve seamless service delivery. Above all, an important ingredient with proven capability to improve government performance and productivity is innovation. Being an enabler and a catalyst, innovation holds the trump card for our success in delivering on the developmental agenda as laid out in the NDP. The work of the CPSI to unearth, promote and showcase innovation in the public service ensures that we continue to facilitate an innovation-friendly environment. This kind of environment is ideal for public officials to safely unleash their talent, ingenuity and creativity to spur the modernisation of our government and accelerate the achievement of Vision 2030.

The number of innovative projects we are showcasing on our various platforms is growing phenomenally and, most importantly, contributes to various aspects of the NDP. A typical example is the Memeza Community Alarm Project. This collaboration between The Innovation Hub, the CPSI, the South African Police Service, Gauteng province and, importantly, the residents and Community Policing Forum of Diepsloot serves as a crime-fighting initiative that is reducing response times down to minutes.

We were most heartened by the number of projects the CPSI unearthed through the awards programme that are now being replicated in various provinces. This is an achievement, particularly in view of the fact that many new projects fail to progress beyond the piloting stage.

The CPSI endeavours to fulfil its mandate by creating a climate in which innovation is prized, encouraged, rewarded, implemented and mainstreamed.”

8

Innovating the future

cpsi Overview

Nurturing best practice innovation The role and function of the Centre for Public Service Innovation is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service in its service delivery to the public.

T

he Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) was established in 2001 by the Minister for Public Service and Administration. In 2008, it became the first Government Component as listed in the amended Public Service Act. In its new governance form, it continues to operate as part of the portfolio of the Minister for Public Service and Administration.

The mandate of the CPSI is located in the responsibility of the Minister for Public Service and Administration, as reflected in the Public Service Act: the Minister for Public Service and Administration is “responsible for establishing norms and standards relating to transformation, reform, innovation and any other matter to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service and its service delivery to the public”.

The CPSI endeavours to fulfil this mandate by creating a climate in which innovation is prized, encouraged, rewarded, implemented and mainstreamed. In response to the mandate set by the act, the vision and mission of the CPSI are located within the broader strategic imperatives of the country, recognising that the public sector has a critical role to play as an enabler of economic development and that improving its effectiveness and efficiency will enhance the quality of life for the citizens.

It also acknowledges that, within a developmental state, the public sector cannot only be an enabler of economic development, but must also be a partner and a strong developmental actor.

The CPSI is once again proud to recognise individuals and teams that continue to find innovative solutions in the public sector. They inspire us to improve the delivery of services through innovation.

Rationale

The Annual CPSI Public Sector Innovation Awards promote and encourage best practice in the public sector and service delivery innovation and celebrate the successes of individuals and teams at all spheres of government. The awards also serve as a tool for expanding innovation. We hope that the recognition given to finalists and their projects will enthuse others to innovate for improved service delivery.

The awards have become an important conduit for entry into prestigious international awards programmes such as the UN Public Service Awards, CAPAM International Innovation Awards, the All Africa Public Sector Innovation Awards (AAPSIA) and the African Association for Public Administration Management (AAPAM) Awards.

The CPSI is once again proud to recognise individuals and teams that continue to find innovative solutions in the public sector. They inspire us to improve the delivery of services through innovation.”

Ms Thuli Radebe, executive director, CPSI

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

9

Annual CPSI Public Sector

Awards AWARDS CATEGORIES THE RATIONALE The Annual CPSI Public Sector Innovation Awards promote and encourage best practice in public sector and service delivery innovation, and celebrate the successes of individuals and teams in all spheres of government.

The awards also serve as a tool for expanding innovation.

We hope that the recognition given to the finalists and their projects will inspire others to innovate for improved service delivery.

The awards have become an important conduit for entry into prestigious international awards programmes such as the UN Public Service Awards, CAPAM International Innovation Awards, the All Africa Public Sector Innovation Awards (AAPSIA) and the African Association for Public Administration Management (AAPAM) Awards.

The following categories are awarded: Innovative Partnerships in Service Delivery Innovative Use of ICTs for Effective Service Delivery Innovative Service Delivery Institutions Innovative Enhancements of Internal Systems of Government.

PRIZES All finalists receive certificates and training in the field of innovation. The category winners receive a certificate and trophy, while the Innovator of the Year receives a cash prize towards the project.

C HAIRPERSON ’ s M e s s a g e

Chose Choeu

Chairperson of the adjudication panel

C

hose Andrew Kenilworth Choeu has firmly established himself as one of South Africa’s finest corporate affairs directors, with a dedicated and extensive career served in world-class corporations and Fortune 500 companies. Choeu is an accomplished leader whose extensive working experience, rigorous education and inherent business sense have set him apart among South Africa’s corporate leadership. He has served as president and chairman of various top-tier organisations throughout the country.

Choeu is the former director: Corporate Affairs at Microsoft South Africa. He currently serves as executive manager: Corporate Services at Eskom, South Africa, where he’s responsible for corporate, regulatory and government affairs, and industry relations.

Before joining Microsoft, he was executive: Regulatory and

Government Relations at Telkom.

He holds a master’s degree in international relations and in philosophy. Chose also serves on several boards and is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Having served in government at senior-management level, Chose is well equipped to smooth and create meaningful relationships between government and businesses. His deep knowledge of regulatory relations in the information communication technology and electricity industries, policymaking and development, strategy development and implementation, corporate governance, government relations and advocacy, political science, stakeholder management, media and public relations, strategic marketing, branding, and internal and external communications adds a level of detail and depth to the overall success of all the organisations that he is involved with.

Being privileged to chair the adjudication panel reinforces my conviction that South Africa is a country that is always able to solve its problems and take advantage of opportunities as they arise – it makes me very proud to be a South African.”

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

11

NASPERS

Innovating for a changing world For just over a century, Naspers has steadily grown from its humble beginnings as a small newspaper publisher, by investing in, acquiring and building leading companies with sustainable competitive advantages.

T

oday, Naspers is a global internet and entertainment group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. But the group stays true to its roots: it continues to back innovative founders and businesses that it believes have the potential to scale beyond their local market. Increasingly, they address big societal needs using technology.

Naspers holds entrepreneurship at its heart. The group constantly looks at the world around it, identifying the changes and shifting trends it believes will shape the needs and behaviours of both local communities and society at large. In recent years, rapid technology innovation has created and connected communities, enabled trade and broken down borders, removed friction and added speed, commoditised knowledge and delivered real-time news, and of course entertained.

In short, it has played a key role in empowering people and enriching communities. And in today’s connected world, the way people think, influence, interact and live continues to evolve in unprecedented, transformational ways.

The pace of change, led perhaps most visibly by the acceleration of technological development, opens up countless opportunities for innovation, and this is where entrepreneurs come into their own.

Entrepreneurial spirit

It can be tempting to think that only founders can be entrepreneurial. They seem to see things that others don’t, they stay focused on their vision whatever happens, they sweep aside obstacles that stop others

12

Innovating the future

in their tracks, they move fast to seize opportunities, and they stay close to their people and their customers. Understandably, many leaders want these traits in their organisations and take tangible action in a bid to become entrepreneurial, seeing it as a critical enabler in a rapidly changing world. Some go as far as setting up special projects or dedicated innovation teams to create accountability for entrepreneurial spirit.

Over the years, Naspers has come to believe that entrepreneurial spirit is actually just a mindset, and anyone can have it. That’s good news. But sometimes you can’t simply cross your fingers and hope it happens.

You have to give it a helping hand.

Opening up the lines of communication is a good first step. Ensuring everyone understands the big picture is key – if teams don’t know what they’re trying to achieve, it’s less likely they’ll focus their creativity and efforts on the right things.

Giving people the freedom to think for themselves and challenge the status quo is also important. Not just in terms of how things are done within the organisation, but also in terms of what the organisation is doing for its stakeholders or customers. Encouraging everyone to stay close to the people they serve and fully understand what they are trying to achieve can spark all sorts of innovative ideas.

Most importantly, remember that everyone can be entrepreneurial. Should finding innovative ideas for new revenue growth be the sole responsibility of the sales team? Should identifying cost-cutting initiatives be the sole responsibility of the finance team? Encouraging and listening to ideas from across an organisation about every aspect of the organisation can open up new sources of innovation. In short, make creativity everyone’s job. At letgo, a mobile-only classifieds business in the Naspers family, everybody is encouraged to put forward ideas for new capabilities and features, regardless of where they sit; letgo’s “creative team” is the entire company.

And, finally, give people permission to take risks and make mistakes. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not challenging yourself, and you’re not learning.

Of course, you do need to learn from your mistakes, because repeating them is just as bad as not taking risks in the first place!

The Naspers story

Naspers was established in 1915 to produce a Dutchlanguage newspaper. From that starting point, two pivotal moments – both leaps into brave new worlds – redefined the future of its business. Those moments in time triggered the evolution from a print media business

NASPERS

into a global internet and entertainment group, and one of the largest technology investors in the world.

The first pivot came in 1985, when Naspers launched M-Net, Africa’s first pay television channel. The M-Net vision was forged by a group of energetic young entrepreneurs with a dogged determination to transform the lives of South Africa’s viewing public.

This vision would permanently change the face of local broadcasting. Launched at a turbulent time in South African history, many believed that the pivot into paid-for TV was a daring experiment, perhaps even doomed to failure. Decades later, MultiChoice produces and serves the best of local and international content to millions of customers across Africa, and continues to lead innovation in an increasingly digital world.

The second pivot came in 2001, with the truly transformational decision to invest in Tencent, a fledgling Chinese internet company. Followed by an investment in Mail.ru in 2006, these early bets in the new world of online led to a period of intense investment beyond the shores of Africa and into exciting markets as diverse as Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Today, Naspers companies and investments improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people in more than 130 countries and markets across the world. They operate across print and digital media, video entertainment (including the classic pay TV model, digital terrestrial TV, and digital streaming) and the internet, including marketplaces, online classifieds, etail, travel, entertainment, payments and fintech, and, most recently, education technology.

And the group continues to look for innovative and ambitious founders and businesses to back, particularly those that address big societal needs.

When innovation meets entrepreneurship

Over the years, Naspers has witnessed countless examples where innovation and

entrepreneurial spirit come together to solve unique local challenges and address big societal needs.

Take redBus, for example. This innovative transport app keeps India moving, by digitally aggregating the nation’s vast number of bus routes and timetables from a wide array of operators. Before redBus, travellers faced the near-impossible task of manually piecing together multistep journeys where some operators even lacked official bus stops. redBus helps people get to work on time, visit relatives, and enjoy pastimes with far less hassle. And that’s not all.

In addition to timetable and route data, redBus also aggregates information on the experience delivered by each of the bus companies. Customers can use this information in their ticket purchase decisions, but by making this information visible in one place, redBus also enables India’s various bus companies to see what their competitors offer.

The result is that all the companies raise their game, ultimately benefitting society at large.

Naspers is helping redBus scale beyond India, with expansion into Latin America, Malaysia and Singapore – regions it believes can also benefit from the company’s leadingedge technology.

Closer to home, Naspers launched the innovative subscription video on demand service ShowMax in 2015, in response to the way people across the world are changing their TV viewing habits. In just 12 months, the team has continually innovated to bring the best of internet video services to viewers with limited data and bandwidth access.

And as it expands beyond South Africa, ShowMax continues to innovate to meet local market needs.

More recent investments in Codecademy, Udemy and Brainly are helping to redefine how education is accessed and delivered across the world. These innovative online platforms are opening the door to learning for millions of people around the world – people who face many barriers preventing

them from learning and developing their skills in traditional classroom or university environments.

These are just a few examples of innovation coming together with entrepreneurship in the wider family of Naspers. In each case, the marriage addresses real needs in communities across the world and in society at large. And at the same time, it brings the opportunity of growth for Naspers and its shareholders, which, in turn, benefits South Africa.

Encouraging innovation

As a society, we need to recognise the importance of promoting innovation as a key driver of social change. As a company, Naspers understands its importance, and recognises and rewards the best examples.

The Naspers Innovation Awards recognise people or teams who have made a significant, positive and measurable impact on their customers through a great innovation, usually product or technology based.

This year’s winners, Manoj Kumar at redBus, a development team at OLX India, and Deepesh Naini at online travel portal goibibo, were awarded for their determination and tenacity in bringing technology-focused innovations into the world for their customers.

Their efforts – and the efforts of countless other dreamers, thinkers, entrepreneurs, innovators, developers and doers – are transforming the lives we live every day. They are at the forefront of the charge to address big societal needs through innovation and Naspers celebrates their success.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

13

Naspers

Moving with the times

I

n 1915, in a modest office in Keerom Street in Cape Town’s city centre, a newspaper called De Burger was published. Fast forward a century…

Die Burger is still going strong and Media24 has grown into one of the leading print and publishing businesses on the African continent.

With more than 140 print and digital content products and e-commerce solutions, cutting-edge multimedia content, data analytics, customer insights and e-commerce metrics are as much a part of the conversation as glossy magazine fashion spreads and political commentary.

The acquisition, in the 1980s, of three publications aimed at the black market – City Press, DRUM and True Love – heralded a golden era of publishing for previously underserved markets.

Many publications followed, including Soccer Laduma, the country’s biggest newspaper, and Daily Sun, the largest daily.

Pioneers in digital publishing

To stay at the leading edge in a rapidly evolving industry, Media24 continually innovates. Today’s journalists are multimedia experts, trained to respond in real time to the demands of a 24-hour digital news cycle, after which print experts harvest content for the next day’s newspapers.

24.com, South Africa’s leading online publisher and home to News24, is the jewel in Media24’s digital crown. 24.com’s growing network includes a range of digital publishing verticals and the recently launched The Huffington Post SA.

Dressed for success

Recognising the need to diversify for a sustainable future, Media24 branched into e-commerce in 2013, with the launch of online fashion retailer spree.co.za. Spree has since evolved into a fully fledged online business with double-digit growth and the expertise gained from its launch led to the creation of Contract Logistics, which does e-fulfilment for major fashion retailers in South Africa.

Content is king

Media24’s magazines continue to be pack leaders, having reinvented themselves for the digital age and enabling multi-

14

Innovating the future

device access to top-notch content. The challenge is to find opportunities to extend readers’ access to entertainment and information beyond print.

A new generation of thinkers

Education and development are pillars of the company’s success and the flagship CSI programme WeCan24 is proof of that. WeCan24 trains a new generation of citizen journalists by equipping high-school editorial teams across South Africa with the skills to publish their own content on a free digital platform. The programme recently scooped an international award – for innovative newspaper projects that attract young readers – from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

Inspiring and rewarding

CEO Esmaré Weideman knows that having a good strategy is not enough to ready the company for a digital future, but having a great culture is. On her watch, Media24 has adopted seven key principles: teamwork, putting customers first, playing to win, executing fast, employing the best, continuous learning, and having fun. Staff are encouraged to participate in community upliftment initiatives and are given an additional 24 hours’ leave and extra annual performance points when taking part in Media24’s Volunteers24 programme.

Voted the media company most graduates aspire to work for by more than 2 000 graduates, Media24 remains committed to equality, diversity and transformation. The company is ever-evolving and today has 55% black executive management and 60% black board director representation.

And when you consider that Media24’s digital platforms have almost 12 million daily page views, it’s clear this is a company looking ahead to the next 100 years.

Naspers

MultiChoice lives by enriching lives

Y

ou’re probably familiar with the name MultiChoice – and, if you’re a DStv customer, you’ll know all about the world-class TV programmes, movies, sport, news and documentaries it provides to customers across the continent.

But did you know that MultiChoice is also one of the biggest contributors to the growth of the South African film and television industry and, together with M-Net, is one of the biggest funders of local content in Africa? And that, through SuperSport, it is the biggest funder of sport on the continent – investing over R1.2 billion a year?

Above and beyond being the provider of the freshest local and international content, as well as live sport and news, through live television and DStv Catch Up, MultiChoice believes in “enriching lives” – which means going way beyond providing compelling viewing.

Enriching lives is an ethos MultiChoice lives by in all aspects of its business. It takes its responsibilities seriously in all it does, and endeavours to promote the well-being of society, its customers, and its people.

The company employs more than 8 000 people in South Africa, and thousands more indirectly through its network of more than 1 300 accredited installers and 130 DStv agencies. MultiChoice also backs emerging entrepreneurs.

Its enterprise and supplier development programme offers various forms of support to small businesses, including

loans, favourable supplier payment terms and trading opportunities. This commitment to enterprise development creates jobs and delivers economic growth, which ultimately ensures social upliftment in local communities.

MultiChoice’s investment in local stories and programmes has reinvigorated the continent’s film and television industry, resulting in a proliferation of exceptional, original local productions and the discovery of talent in front of the camera and behind the scenes. This investment creates jobs for scriptwriters, actors, producers, directors and many others.

Vision View Productions, for example, is a vibrant company founded by Eddie Seane and Mafadi Mpuru in 2005. Eddie joined SuperSport as an intern cameraman and his training there prepared him for the broadcast industry. The company was started with modest investment from their salaries and, in 2010, they received their first production contract from SuperSport. Through the MultiChoice Enterprise Development Trust, they received an interest-free loan that allowed them to purchase their first outside broadcast (OB) van. Today, the company owns three OB vans, a state-of-the-art pre- and post-production facility, employs 70 people and produces a variety of programmes for SuperSport.

Further, MultiChoice helps with the development of up-and-coming broadcast talent, and donates stateof-the-art broadcast equipment, provides training and skills development, and grants free broadcast rights for MultiChoice Diski Challenge matches.

Off screen, more than 90 000 black South Africans have benefitted from the company’s BBBEE share scheme, Phuthuma Nathi. A R2 000 investment at scheme launch is worth close to R25 000 in 2016, having yielded a total dividend of R10 400 over that period. The scheme has paid out around R6.5 billion in dividends since inception, changing the lives of its shareholders.

MultiChoice believes in the youth of our country, and its CSI and skills development programmes help young people realise their potential in sport, broadcasting and film-making.

SuperSport’s Let’s Play, for example, has benefitted millions of school children with various physical education programmes since its inception 10 years ago. On top of this, the MultiChoice Diski Challenge – the PSL reserve league – has opened up opportunities for young footballers aspiring to professional careers, while providing a learning platform for over 40 interns, who produce the broadcasting of the matches on SuperSport and community television stations.

And then there’s the M-Net Magic in Motion Academy, which gives young South Africans in the film and TV industry on-the-job training and the opportunity to work with experienced producers to get hands-on experience.

All these initiatives underline MultiChoice’s commitment to the upliftment of communities and making a substantial difference in South Africa and beyond.

The company believes in enriching lives through empowerment and transformation.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

15

Naspers

Disruptive innovation: introducing ShowMax Naspers launched ShowMax in a deliberate move to disrupt one of its own successful businesses in Africa, the MultiChoice pay TV business.

A

t the start of 2015, Naspers knew it had to respond to the rapidly changing television viewing habits seen elsewhere in the world. The associated rise of subscription video on demand (SVOD) was gathering pace and, with continued improvements in internet connectivity in Africa, it was only a matter of time before new entrants brought this service to our markets. It was a choice between being disrupted by others, or taking the initiative and disrupting itself first.

The company decided on the latter and built a leading-edge SVOD business in the full knowledge it could well cannibalise its existing pay TV interests.

Naspers took ShowMax from idea to full launch in just six months.

ShowMax hit the ground running when it launched in August 2015, offering South Africa’s largest on-demand catalogue of TV shows and movies. Importantly, by securing entire back catalogues of popular shows for the launch, Naspers tapped into another global phenomenon – binge watching.

Innovating for a local market

A pure copycat play, simply replicating successful SVOD models seen elsewhere, was doomed to fail in Africa. Naspers would have to rise to specific challenges in Africa, and innovation would be key.

The first challenge for online TV and video was (and is) connectivity – the cost of mobile data is high, and the quality of internet connections is unreliable. Second

16

Innovating the future

was payments – not everyone has a credit card. And third was local relevance – sure, viewers in Africa enjoy American TV, but they also want home-grown shows.

With this in mind, ShowMax set out to innovate in three critical areas: functionality, partnerships and content.

Unique functionality – ShowMax gives customers the option of downloading content to watch later, in addition to the usual SVOD proposition of real-time streaming. This enables customers to take advantage of free and fast Wi-Fi at their place of work by downloading content during the day so they can watch their premium content at home later on. ShowMax also provides a choice of four download file sizes to choose from and three streaming settings. These innovations help users navigate the connectivity and data consumption challenges they face.

Innovative partnerships – ShowMax established a prepaid voucher system to transform SVOD in the same way that prepaid mobile changed telecoms. ShowMax vouchers are now available in more than 500 different retail stores. South Africa’s four main banks also allow the linking of ShowMax subscriptions with their customer loyalty programmes. ShowMax also works in partnership with mobile equipment manufacturers and internet service providers like Telkom, who offer an entertainment data bolt-on.

Local content – For its launch, ShowMax put together the most significant catalogue of South African content to date, in multiple languages, and combined it with the best American and British content.

What haS SHOWMAX learnt?

In its first 15 months, Showmax achieved well over 10 million views or, put another way, more than 700 years of continuous viewing if watched back-to-back.

Creating downloadable content, enabling customers to apply data usage caps, establishing a cash voucher system, and implementing multiple user profiles are some of the tougher technical challenges that had to be solved.

Support for AirPlay, Apple TV, Chromecast, the DStv Explora, and more smart TVs has also been added. And ShowMax hasn’t stopped innovating – additional tweaks and upgrades continue to take place on an almost daily basis.

Research to date suggests that ShowMax has higher brand recognition in South Africa than Netflix, the undisputed world leader in SVOD. ShowMax demonstrates how focused innovation can create locally relevant products and services able to compete with giants.

Sponsor’s Message

Act like a founder Entrepreneurial spirit is the foundation of success at Naspers. And while we believe entrepreneurial spirit is not the sole preserve of entrepreneurs – anyone can have it – it is true that founders embody that spirit.

A

t Naspers, we’re fortunate that many of the founders of the businesses we have invested in over the years remain part of our family, leading their companies through the next waves of growth. Our founders are role models for our people across the globe; they inspire us to not only have vision, but also to innovate, to take calculated risks, and to push hard to pursue our dreams. It’s why we encourage all our teams to act like founders.

No founder embodies entrepreneurial spirit more than Alec Oxenford.

Alec is the Argentinian co-founder of OLX and, more recently, letgo, two global classifieds businesses that we are proud to say are part of the Naspers family.

Alec perfectly represents what it means to have entrepreneurial spirit, and has many unique views on pursuing dreams that we can all learn from.

The man from Mars

For example, when he co-founded OLX, he took what he describes as the “Martian approach”. Most entrepreneurs launch their business in their home country – and city – because that’s what they know best. But imagine you are a Martian looking down on the world. As an unbiased extraterrestrial, with no ties to any particular region, you would take a different course. You would look at the whole world and choose the optimal market to build your business. So, despite being Argentinian, Alec started with India.

Alec believes that people are far more similar around the world than most realise: they may have different day-to-day priorities and habits but, in the main, virtually everyone is driven by the same motivations. Chief among them is the desire to make life better for themselves and their family. He believes OLX and letgo help people do this by enabling

“wealth creation”, making it easy to monetise personal possessions that would otherwise sit unused, by selling them locally. But his vision is bigger than creating successful, local trading economies on a global scale. Alec is passionate about the role that OLX and letgo play in solving the world’s number one problem – excessive resource consumption and pollution that have vastly negative effects on the sustainability of the environment and put life on the planet at risk.

We are inspired by Alec’s thinking and drive, which is what led us to invest in him and OLX in 2010. Later, in 2015, following the successful growth and expansion of OLX, Alec came to us with his idea for letgo, a mobile-only classifieds business. We backed him again and we’re excited by the fast progress letgo is already making in countries like the US, Turkey, Canada and Norway.

In September 2015, Alec was awarded the inaugural Naspers Founder Award. He remains chairman of OLX, but spends his days focused on letgo where, together with his partners – Jordi Castello and Enrique Linares – he guides the company’s vision and oversees operations, fundraising, and key hires.

Our message is clear. If you want to promote entrepreneurial spirit in your organisation, a great starting point is encouraging your people to act like founders. Or put simply, be more Alec.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

17

I n n o v a t i o n a m b a s s a d o R ’ s MESSAGE

Phuti Ragophala Innovation ambassador I believe in the power of technology, not only for educational purposes, but for life in general. I realise we are gradually becoming a paperless society, and look forward to the day when this transition fully occurs.”

P

huti Ragophala, a school principal who is passionate about changing the lives of learners and community members through education and technology, is a determined women and a natural leader. She underscores her humble, yet larger-than-life character, pulling no punches, when she says, “The traditional way of teaching has no place in this era.”

She tells her own story.

“The tried and tested chalk and board method needs to give way to classrooms loaded with computers, handheld devices and other electronic gadgets, as we enter the digital age of e-learning.

“Whatever the future holds, the soul of the teaching profession will forever remain relevant to changing the lives of learners, young or old.

As Nikos Kazantzakis, the Greek philosopher, once said, ‘True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross. Then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own bridges.’

18

Innovating the future

“I started permaculture, poultry, IT and indigenous knowledge systems projects to benefit community members, and to expose these people to IT skills that I regard as scarce, certainly in rural areas. My poultry project employs 25 community members and alongside the food garden, also based within the school yard, produces eggs, meat and vegetables to feed orphans and vulnerable learners. Surplus vegetables, eggs and chickens are sold to generate income for the school.

“All of these projects were triggered by poverty, unemployment and a lack of skills among the community members. Today, my educators, learners and community members can use and operate computers. Learners can interface with schoolwork using a range of IT tools. Looking forward, we are steadily moving towards being a fully fledged e-school. My wish is to see learners acquire 21st century skills such as computer literacy and creative problem-solving, and become innovative, critical thinkers. The only way to achieve this skills development is through the use of IT tools in the computer lab and the development of their skill set.

“So saying, it is obvious that we are teaching a mobile generation. As such, it is up to educators to align the curriculum with technology. A wise man once said, ‘Teaching is like hunting birds.

Shoot where they are going, because if you shoot where they are, you will miss them.’

“I believe in the power of technology, not only for educational purposes, but for life in general.

I realise we are gradually becoming a paperless society, and look forward to the day when this transition fully occurs. In the meantime, I make sure that my school embraces information technology and that we incorporate it into everything possible. My 32 teachers use computers to prepare lessons, enter learners’ marks and perform basic administrative duties.

“My 1 167 learners share 40 computers and are showing growing confidence in using this technology to learn new things and to do research for their academic work.

“I teach the parents who work at the poultry project computer skills, helping them to acquire sufficient skills and abilities to operate a computer, to file, capture and record production activities and other related transactions.

In the beginning, most of them could barely read and write. This proved to me that it is not just qualifications that matter, but passion.”

Ragophala is certainly a motivational leader – a servant of the people.

This is why she is so successful. Her refusal to be daunted, her passion, and her innovative and creative thinking are what make her a multiple award winner.

Sponsor’s Message

Expert leadership drives innovation

M

cLean Sibanda (MSc Eng (Wits), LLM: Commercial Law (Unisa)) is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a registered South African patent attorney. He is the CEO of The Innovation Hub, South Africa’s only science and technology park. He has over seven years of private sector, R&D experience

with De Beers Industrial Diamonds and extensive experience in innovation, intellectual property, technology transfer and the commercialisation of intellectual property. He has served previously as group executive: Commercialisation at the Technology Innovation Agency, and senior patent attorney and acting executive director of the Innovation Fund. He was involved in the establishment of technology transfer offices at higher education institutions, the development of patent attorneys for the public sector, as well as in the drafting and finalising of the legislation and associated regulations of the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research & Development Act.

He has served as an IP expert to the African Union on the drafting of constitutive documents, including situational analyses for the establishment of the Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization, following the decision of the AU heads of state. He tutors on World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) courses on advanced patent searching and biotechnology law, and is a featured speaker at WIPO conferences on the topic of innovation and technology transfer.

He has served on a number of boards of start-up companies and currently serves on the boards of the CSIR, THRIP, Technifin, Ideanav and The Innovation Hub.

Our mandate is to contribute to the socio-economic development of South Africa as a whole, in nurturing innovation and the flow of knowledge among various players, such as government, the private sector and research undertaking institutions. We do this with passion because we understand the significance of our work in adding value to all sectors of the economy.”

McLean Sibanda CEO of The Innovation Hub, and member of the adjudication panel

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

19

UN D P M e s s a g e

Mr Walid Badawi

Country director: South Africa, UNDP Today’s development challenges are complex and interconnected.

We live in a world of volatility, uncertainty and unpredictability.

T

his calls for innovation in the way we collaborate across organisational boundaries, so that we ensure we bring our collective strengths to the task of sustainable development, which calls for innovative approaches to development and service delivery. Innovation is not an end in itself. It is about using the most up-to-date concepts and means available to get the best results. It is for these reasons that, in recent years, the UNDP has been stepping up its commitment and investments to incentivise innovation.

The UNDP’s approach to innovation is quite varied and it applies a wide range of methodologies and tools to tap into alternative and best available ideas, voices and technologies, supporting rapid experimentation and learning from experience. This ranges from innovations in addressing issues of youth unemployment and stimulating SMME development, to leveraging technology to improve service delivery, developing effective and rapid citizen feedback mechanisms, and providing strategic foresight services to governments to strengthen national planning systems and processes.

20

Innovating the future

Strategic foresight is the umbrella term for innovative strategic planning, policy formulation and solution design methods that work with alternative futures.

For the UNDP South Africa, innovation is rapidly gaining momentum. An innovation team was set up in 2014 to help the office accelerate the integration of innovative practices across all programme areas.

Partnerships with a number of leading innovation hubs have been forged and discussions are currently under way to identify programme entry points. An area that has seen rather quick innovation uptake is our Governance programme, which forms part of our value-add to strengthen the public sector.

In partnership with the CPSI, the UNDP supported the United Nations Public Administration Network Annual Capacity Building Workshop to enhance the participation of SADC member states on the portal and an understanding of how to use it effectively to improve governance and expand the knowledge base on innovative practices in the region. Following the workshop, the country office has engaged with the CPSI to develop a long-

term programmatic partnership. Some of the emerging partnership areas include: • I nstitutional capacity building of the CPSI to carry out its mandate and expand its knowledge base to co-ordinate national innovation processes within the public sector • Supporting the CPSI initiatives and national processes to create innovative knowledge products • Supporting the development and implementation of the community-based innovation advocacy programme.

Furthermore, the UNDP and CPSI are currently running an innovation workshop series for the Department of Home Affairs to introduce and encourage staff, particularly young people, with innovative ideas and solutions to submit them to the leadership of the department for consideration and possible adoption.

In closing, it is my sincere hope that South Africa’s strategic foresight will make maximum use of the resources and the knowledge available to advance innovation and development for the benefit of the country.

F INALISTS ’ LISTING

2016 CPSI AWARDS FINALISTS 2016 Innovator of the Year Placing

Project Name

Department/Institution

Province

Winner

Revenue Enhancement Strategy

Provincial Treasury

Limpopo

Category B

Category A

Innovative solutions reducing the cost of delivery services Placing

Project Name

Department/Institution

Province

Winner

Saving Blood, Saving Lives

Edendale Hospital, Department of Health

KwaZulu-Natal

1st Runner-up

Amputee Patient Care

Clairwood Hospital, Department of Health

KwaZulu-Natal

2nd Runner-up

Cable Theft Prevention

Litabe Technologies

Free State

3rd Runner-up

Energy Saving

Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Health

Western Cape

Placing

Project Name

Department/Institution

Province

Winner

RAF EQMS

Road Accident Fund

National

1st Runner-up

CapeFarmMapper

Department of Agriculture

Western Cape

2nd Runner-up

E-Learning for Health

Department of Health

Western Cape

Placing

Project Name

Department/Institution

Province

Winner

Contractor Development

Department of Police, Roads and Transport

Free State

1st Runner-up

Agriculture Rural Youth Development

Department of Agriculture

Western Cape

2nd Runner-up

Early Childhood Disability Intervention

Manguzi Hospital, Department of Health

KwaZulu-Natal

3rd Runner-up

Patient Flow Management

Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Health

Western Cape

Innovative use of ICTs for effective service delivery

Special Awards

Category D

Category C

Innovative service delivery institutions

Innovative enhancements of internal systems of government Placing

Project Name

Department/Institution

Province

Winner

Revenue Enhancement Strategy

Provincial Treasury

Limpopo

1st Runner-up

Chronic Disease Management Highway

Mitchells Plain CHC, Department of Health

Western Cape

2nd Runner-up

Hospital Waste Management

Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Health

Western Cape

Placing

Project Name

Winner

Ngwanamago Primary School

special ministerial award Department/Institution

Province

Department of Education

Limpopo

2016 GEMS Health Award Placing

Project Name

Department/Institution

Province

Winner

Saving Blood, Saving Lives

Edendale Hospital, Department of Health

KwaZulu-Natal

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

21

The Innovation Hub

The state of innovation in SA Case study constraints

As we celebrate 22 years of our democracy, it is also a time to reflect on how we have done as a country to institutionalise innovation.

By McLean Sibanda, CEO, The Innovation Hub

T

he various milestones of our journey include the 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology and the 2002 National Research & Development Strategy; the various reviews including the 2008 OECD Review of the South African National System of Innovation (NSI); the 2008 Ten-Year Innovation Plan; as well as the establishment of the National Intellectual Property Management Office and the Technology Innovation Agency to the 2012 Ministerial Review of the Science and Innovation System.

22

Innovating the future

Being an emerging economy, South Africa is recognised globally as an important player in innovation and the world economy. Some 22 years into our democracy, the country has made significant strides that not many African countries can attest to due to its strategic socio-economic policies and government interventions that have sought to eradicate the discriminatory legacy of the previous regime. Notwithstanding the significant progress made, lest we get too comfortable, there are still inefficiencies and deficits in the development of an inclusive culture of innovation and the transformation of the NSI.

Case studies of the transformative nature of innovation are still difficult to find in the rhetoric of politicians and bureaucrats alike. This is, first of all, because participation in the NSI is currently limited to the privileged few, whether by racial, social or educational background.

Our schooling system still places a greater emphasis on employment as an end, with little emphasis on socio-economic problem-solving and identifying market opportunities that become the seed of innovation.

Second, despite the 2008 OECD observations of South Africa’s approach to innovation being restrictively narrow, the status quo remains and few steps have been taken to broaden the approach in recognition of innovation as being important for all aspects of society as it equates to progress.

Third, the discourse about innovation is incomplete if it does not include entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and enablers such as incubators and science parks, as there is a funding gap. The announcement of the Incubation Support Programme by the Department of Trade and Industry is to be welcomed in this regard.

Last of all, the institutional arrangements that we have put in place to foster innovation and ensure holistic support to entrepreneurs and researchers working on cutting-edge technologies and solutions still have to fulfil their mandate.

Stimulating innovation

Today, we still grapple with issues such as how we stimulate innovation, how we determine what innovation is, and how we measure the outputs of innovation. In order to heighten potential output growth and be worthy competitors in the global economy, it is imperative that, as South Africans, we start to address innovation as a socio-economic imperative and ensure that any discourse on innovation is purposefully directed towards driving sustainable economic growth, improving the competitiveness of our firms and solving

The Innovation Hub social challenges faced by our people, so as to increase the quality of life for all. Finally, we need to provide a more certain regulatory environment and incentives for creators of new knowledge.

The role of universities is a significant one, as it forms part of the strong linkages amid the players in the Triple Helix system – higher education institutions, the private sector and government. Special emphasis is placed on universities within national innovation systems. Universities work as suppliers of innovation and facilitators of new technology through spin-off companies, licences for these new technologies and reassigning knowledge to existing businesses.

Knowledge-based economic development and transformation are conceded by universities as their contribution to development in national, regional and local innovation systems accumulates.

Addressing challenges

For every problem, there is an opportunity – we should, therefore, be channelling our focus towards the pressing challenges that face our society. In the past few months, we have seen an increase in protest action across the country, underscoring the importance of service delivery efficiency and the need for innovative solutions to improve service delivery.

Given government’s purchasing power, procurement and expenditure are still untapped areas for stimulating innovation. This cannot be done without enabling reforms in policies and the regulatory environment, so as to eliminate the various barriers faced by entrepreneurs with locally developed innovations that can assist government service delivery.

Government must take on a more proactive role to create sustainable local industries and

provide an enabling environment in order to facilitate development in South Africa. It is through innovation that this can be done, ensuring an effective transition of our economy towards a truly knowledge-based economy that focuses on benefitting its people. In this regard, institutions such as the Technology Innovation Agency, together with state-owned enterprises, must focus on supporting demand-led innovations and, more particularly, those that have the greatest potential to benefit our people.

There is also a need to embrace the shift towards ICT and mobilebased innovations.

With over 49.6% of our population being under the age of 25 – this group being consumers and generators of mobile content – we have an opportunity to create real opportunities that will go beyond mobile. However, we seem to be uncertain of how to assess the market opportunities in ICT and mobile, whereas this generation of youth has the potential to turn mobile into a game changer by creating solutions and services at both consumer and enterprise levels. In supporting innovation, particularly technology ideas, failure is a default end state. Accordingly, decision-making processes must be put in place and accelerated to manage delivery against milestones.

Forging the path ahead

Today, with better educated youth, and yet a high number of unemployed, South Africa is at an advantage to stimulate innovation and a culture of entrepreneurship to facilitate sustainable growth

in the long term. Innovation has increasingly become vital in driving growth, employment and improving public service delivery. We also need to promote innovation in enterprises, as it has been shown, in the 2008 Innovation Survey, that enterprises that incorporate innovation activities are most inclined to be employment generators.

In addition to investing in R&D, the NDP recognises the importance of entrepreneurs mobilising innovative ideas for social change and commercial application. As such, for new, real jobs to be created, SMMEs must be supported “through better coordination of relevant agencies, development of finance institutions” and “an expanded skills base through better education and vocational training” to catapult South Africa into increased competitiveness.

The pace of change in the years that lie ahead, as we implement the NDP, cannot be the same as in the past 20 years. We must proceed with a sense of urgency, aggressively closing the so-called innovation chasm in a holistic manner while recognising the strengths and capabilities of each of the players in the NSI. Ten years from now, South Africa should be Africa’s nucleus of entrepreneurial activity and innovation that addresses African and global problems. The time has come to demystify innovation and provide real meaning to this word, as a socio-economic imperative.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

23

GEARING TOGETHER TO IGNITE INNOVATIVE EXCELLENCE

Brought to you by:

Leading the way forward

The Innovation Hub

The Innovation Hub is sub-Saharan Africa’s first internationally accredited and leading science and technology park.

E

stablished by the Gauteng Provincial Government in 2001, The Innovation Hub has created initiatives that support innovation and enterprise development for over 16 years. The targeted sectors are in smart industries (ICT and advanced manufacturing), green economy and biosciences, in order to contribute towards the growth of the economy, the creation of decent jobs and the reduction of poverty in Gauteng. Strategically located in Tshwane, South Africa’s executive capital and “smart” city, The Innovation Hub has become a regional centre of innovation and knowledge creation, linked to the fastmoving world of global interconnectivity.

The Innovation Hub achieves its mandate through different structures within the organisation, namely:

Enterprise Development

Maxum Business Incubator The Maxum Business Incubator develops the business leaders of tomorrow by providing an enabling environment where start-ups from the knowledgeintensive sectors are fast-tracked to compete in the global village. Incubation creates a synergistic environment where entrepreneurs can share learning, create working partnerships, as well as open doors to markets and resources.

The Innovation Factory is between 6 to 12 months in duration and the main incubation programme

(Maxum Core) lasts up to three years. In the Innovation Factory, entrepreneurs are assisted to refine their business cases and finalise their prototypes, whereas in Maxum Core, the focus is on commercialisation, growth in revenues and sustainability.

There are two categories that our smart industry entrepreneurs fall into – ICT and advanced manufacturing.

Maxum Digital is a newly established incubation programme put in place to identify and support students, developers, technical professionals and the creative community in the province in all aspects of digital (i.e. gaming, animation, virtual reality and digital). The objective is to provide support that will grow digital companies. The support provided by Maxum Digital includes: • Access to space, ICT facility and infrastructure • Access to seed funding for product development, marketing and customer trial development • Acceleration of the pace of ideas in gaming, animation and virtual reality drawn from market (outside entrepreneur’s scope) and invention or innovation (by entrepreneur) by partnering with industry players such as mobile operators, distributors and public institution.

• Access to professional expert, product managers (intrapreneurs) from public and private sector that are interested and invested into the product or service development in any form.

In the film industry, Maxum started the Maxum Media Accelerator (MMA). This is a media entrepreneurship acceleration programme that identifies, develops and supports newly formed media production companies in South Africa. The MMA is a partnership between The Innovation Hub and Urban Brew Studios, with the support of Kagiso Media’s television production facility. The programme was first piloted in August 2014 in Gauteng and is funded by the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller.

MMA’s programme goals include a business acceleration and training initiative for the development of SMMEs within the media industry. It also encourages the development of the local film and video industry, especially film-makers and television producers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

Service offerings include: • Access to training, mentorship, funding and support in

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

25

The Innovation Hub

A measurable impact is made on the socio-economy through creating green jobs, and minimising environmental pollution and degradation, global warming and resource depletion.” the acceleration of the business after securing a production contract. Training focuses on: - Contracting - Script-writing - Pre-production - Production - Business skills training.

• Open workshop sessions.

Within incubation, entrepreneurs are categorised as pre-commercial – companies that are still in the initial development stage of their business – or commercial – companies that have secured an investment or made a sale to a willing customer.

The Value Added Services Unit was put in place to offer value-added services to start-up companies within Maxum, ClC, Biopark eKasi Labs and mLab. The main services being offered by the unit include: legal support; intellectual

property advisory services; commercialisation support such as access to market; access to funding; investment readiness support; support with linkages to public and private entities; contract management services; designing and developing financial models; and deal structuring and training on various business topics and IP. Upon receiving your application, it goes through an evaluation process that determines whether it has been accepted or declined. If it is accepted, you are then invited to a pitching session with a panel of judges – a 30-minute process, of which 10 minutes are for a presentation and 20 minutes for Q&As. Climate Innovation Centre The green economy refers to growing economic activities such as investments, job creation and global competitiveness associated with cleaner industries that have a low impact on the environment. A measurable impact is made on the socio-economy through creating green jobs, and minimising environmental pollution and degradation, global warming and resource depletion.

The Climate Innovation Centre is a strategic green economy initiative to achieve sustainable growth and job creation, which aligns to the overall strategic goal of the Gauteng Green Economy Strategy.

The design of the Climate Innovation Centre, located at the BioPark@Gauteng, is based on the model developed by infoDev’s Climate Technology Program – a division of the World Bank.

The Climate Innovation Centre offers the following support services: • Business advisory support • Monthly mentorship sessions • Value-added services: intellectual property, technical and legal • Finance administration support services • Access to market reports and soft-landing opportunities • Workshops, short-courses and conferences • Access to our networks • Free internet connectivity • Access to seed funding: GAP innovation competition and Start-up Support Programme • Physical incubation at subsidised rates The BioPark@Gauteng The BioPark@Gauteng is a specialised incubator that develops early-stage biotechnologies into commercialisation. This is achieved by providing affordable infrastructure, market access opportunities, training and access to critical skills and resources. The BioPark@Gauteng programme offers incubation services to start-ups and office space at subsidised rates to established companies in the following areas: • Agricultural biotechnology • Health biotechnology • Industrial/environmental biotechnology. mLab Southern Africa mLab Southern Africa, with the “m” representing “mobile”, is an initiative of the Innovation Hub, CSIR Meraka – which conducts research, development and innovation in the information and

The Innovation Hub

communications technology sector – and UnganaFrika – a non-governmental organisation based in Pretoria that provides a wide range of ICT services for civil society within and outside of Africa. mLab is a mobile applications laboratory, which incubates innovation and entrepreneurship in the mobile channel. Encouraging and supporting the use of mobile solutions in government service delivery, the facility at The Innovation Hub is the headquarters of a regional initiative covering Southern African countries. mLab is a shared space where technology entrepreneurs can interact, work, gain access to tools and expertise, deploy solutions, and start and grow businesses. mLab supports the design and development of gaming, consumer, public and enterprise apps. eKasi Labs The eKasi Labs programme’s purpose is to take innovation to the people by establishing co-creation and innovation spaces in the townships where local communities are able to access the services and facilities that are offered at The Innovation Hub. Extending these services and facilities to the townships addresses problems of access and seeks to reindustrialise the community and unemployed youth so that employment is created in their areas of residence through skills and enterprise development.

There are currently three eKasi Labs programmes – in Soweto, Ga Rankuwa and Alexandra – and work is in progress to launch more of these facilities, namely eKasi Lab Vaal/Sebokeng, Ekasi Lab Mohlakeng, eKasi Lab Tembisa and eKasi Lab Mamelodi. These labs will focus not only on providing

opportunities for talented or promising townshipbased youth but also on developing solutions that align with the eGovernment Department’s priorities as well as promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the township with specific focus on new innovative output in the community, in line with transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation or township economy revitalisation provincial economic policies.

Some of the desired outcomes of the eKasi Labs are the establishment of viable and sustainable township enterprises. To achieve this, support services include promoting: • Entrepreneurship community innovation • Community entrepreneur development • Youth skills development in ICT, green economy and manufacturing.

Graduates are encouraged to start their own businesses, as this is one of the fastest ways to grow our local economy. Industry partners are afforded the opportunity to absorb any graduate into their organisation.

Skills Development Programme

SERVICE OFFERINGS

CoachLab Programme The Innovation Hub runs the CoachLab Programme in collaboration with industry partners. CoachLab is a postgraduate leadership and business skills development programme for ICT and engineering graduates. It is a programme that focuses on bridging the skills gap between tertiary education and the working environment. Graduates are trained to acquire invaluable skills in business, in dealing with different people and promoting an innovative way of thinking. Graduates in ICT and engineering are required to work on projects, based on real industry challenges, with assistance from industry experts, personal coaches and mentors, while studying to obtain their postgraduate degree.

FabLab FabLab, an abbreviation for “fabrication laboratory”, is a platform for high school learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to create prototypes using world-class, cutting-edge machinery. Learners are able to design, 3D print and manufacture using advanced manufacturing technology and use their prototypes to create a business. This platform is intended to promote a culture of participation in the innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurship through skills development and weekly training.

The programme offers youth from previously disadvantaged schools the opportunity to be exposed to design and print in 3D, computer training, entrepreneurship training and advanced manufacturing training.

Code Tribe Code Tribe is a full bursary programme aimed at training youth to develop applications for Android, back-end and cloud using scrum agile methodologies and native software development kits. t +27 (0)12 844 0000 e info@theinnovationhub.com

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

27

2016 Innovator of the Year

Innovative Enhancements of Internal Systems of Government

Innovator of the Year winner Project: Revenue Enhancement Strategy Department: Limpopo Provincial Treasury

28

Innovating the future

2016 Innovator of the Year

Challenge

Limpopo province’s share of total provincial own receipts was assessed and found to be very low at 1.4% in 2012/13 collection. Because of the decline of the province’s national share, the Provincial Treasury considered it necessary to improve collection of own revenue to augment a more equitable share. Some of the reasons for this are attributed to the following challenges: • Ineffective and non-integrated systems in departments: - Billing systems - Patient administration verification systems - Debt management systems - Electronic data interchange • Insufficient budgets for own revenue enhancement projects in departments • Lack of appointed departmental designated revenue officers • Conservative revenue projections by departments • Absence of proper revenue collection processes and procedures in some departments • Departments and entities concluding service-level agreements with collecting agencies without Provincial Treasury approval

• A lack of research in the identification of untapped revenue sources and revision of revenue tariffs • Departments not structured to manage own revenue effectively • Inadequate support, monitoring and evaluation in departments and entities.

• Non-surrender of unspent funds/surpluses by Schedule 3 public entities.

Innovation

Resolution of the problem came in the form of the Revenue Enhancement Strategy – an instrument to enhance own revenue by strengthening existing control processes and creating innovative ways for new revenue streams – to achieve the following seven objectives: 1 Promote “high road” forecasting of own revenue 2 Provide capacity, support and guidance to departments and entities in their revenuegenerating endeavours 3 Improve revenue management information systems in consultation with departments and public entities 4 Ring-fence funding to support the identified revenue enhancement projects in the province

5 Monitor the transfer of own revenue and surrendering of surpluses by Schedule 3 public entities into the Provincial Revenue Fund 6 Monitor the development and review of revenue collection service-level agreements between departments/entities and agencies 7 Conduct research on alternative revenue streams.

Impact

Before the implementation of the project, the province’s revenue base ranged from R512.0 million in 2011/12 to R550.5 million in the 2012/13 financial year.

Revenue collection after implementation of the project produced R845 million in 2013/2014 and R1.42 billion in 2014/2015.

Examples of service delivery projects include: • Improved patient billing systems – for greater efficiency • Improved infrastructure of wildlife resorts – creating jobs while generating revenue • Opening of multipurpose centres (unused office spaces) for registration/licensing of vehicles to minimise paying commission to municipalities (20%).

29

2016 Category A | WINNER

Innovative Solutions

Reducing the Cost of Delivering Services

Category A winner Project: Saving Blood, Saving Lives Organisation: Edendale Hospital, Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal

30

Innovating the future

2016 Category A | WINNER

Challenge

Blood is lifesaving; however, in South Africa, it is a very expensive and scarce resource, given the average South African National Blood Service (SANBS) blood stock of only two days. The cost of blood product constitutes the biggest percentage of hospital expenditure. The Edendale Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal was one of the worst performers in terms of blood use, misuse, ordering of products, and thus costs. Medical personnel typically ordered any amount of blood and, in most cases, used half or less, discarding the rest. This resulted in a shortage of blood products for emergencies.

An innovative solution was needed to ensure the correct and efficient use of blood products and, in the process, reduce costs.

Innovation

The innovation gravitated towards creating a protocol form, called the Blood Transfusion Accountability Form (BTAF), which now manages and controls the ordering and use of blood products. Medical personnel are forced to complete this form prior to ordering and receiving blood products. After just a few days, this simple, cheap and hugely successful solution proved to be a winner. All doctors have to complete the BTAF for all blood product requests.

The objective of the BTAF is to ensure the efficient use of blood products, hold healthcare practitioners accountable for their actions (ordering blood products), reduce/avoid wastage, decrease the amount of blood

products used, and reduce blood product expenditure in the hospital.

This led to a behavioral change of medical personnel in the reduction of misuse, a cultural change in terms of awareness and infusing the appropriate use of blood products, which started saving blood and also reduced complications associated with blood transfusion. This made more blood available for other critical patients and the project was implemented without increasing the budget for the unit or requesting any new funds.

Impact

A significant reduction in the cost of blood products for the hospital between 2014 and 2016 amounted to savings of R15.6 million – the equivalent of 4 400 units of blood. This translates into more blood being available for patients who need it most, thereby increasing their chances of survival. Furthermore, the reduction in after-hours levies (for ordering blood after hours) amounted to a drop of 56%.

Edendale Hospital is now exporting blood to other hospitals in surrounding areas and to other hospitals in Mpumalanga province. Port Shepstone Hospital saved R3.5 million and 1 853 units of blood, resulting in a massive reduction on the workload, as well as quicker processing times and readily available blood products for emergencies.

The savings achieved have been used to improve patient care. The hospital has been

able to employ three medical doctors and 10 more nurses, as well as procure more medical equipment.

Sustainability/ replication

The project has already being replicated in 12 hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. The project was also endorsed by the regional and district heads of department: Health. It was presented to the National Blood Transfusion Congress and the South African National Blood Agency, and was fully supported.

The project was replicated at Bertha Gxowa Hospital, in Gauteng (achieving savings of R40 000 per month, within three months of implementation), and is also being implemented in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

It is easy to replicate the project through a change of behaviour by medical professionals. The system changes the nature of accountability and thus reduces costs. The project was mentioned by the Minister for Public Service and Administration in his 2016 budget vote and is supported by the Department of Health, Specialised Services and Clinical Support.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

31

2016 Category B | WINNER

Innovative Use of ICTs for Effective Service Delivery

Category B winner Project: Electronic Queue Management System Organisation: Road Accident Fund

32

Innovating the future

2016 Category b | WINNER

Challenge

Due to the large number of claimants calling on the Road Accident Fund (RAF) at roadside, and subsequently visiting the RAF customer service centres (CSCs) or mobile RAF offices (MROs), long queues develop outside these facilities.

CSCs service communities in surrounding areas, including RAF offices in hospitals, and represent the core RAF business functions in terms of interacting with claimants, e.g. processing claims origination. MROs provide services to rural towns and villages.

Innovation

The Electronic Queue Management System (EQMS) was developed in-house in 2013. The system was tested between February and October 2014, and was fully deployed by November 2014.

The system makes use of a handheld scanner software application using the Windows CE operating system, a World Wide Web service

integrated with the RAF claims system. There is also a real-time interface with the Department of Home Affairs systems, which is achieved through participation in SITA’s Next Generation Networks that access the population register through established web services and provide up-to-date citizen data. The back-end EQMS administration and reporting is achieved via SQL database.

The system uses internal security controls to ensure the protection of personal information.

Impact

Efficient claims processing: EQMS enables front-office personnel to be more effective by accessing claim information at the touch of a button. This results in improved responsiveness, accuracy and decisionmaking while engaging with claimants.

Accessible services: EQMS has turned RAF personnel into an effective mobile workforce and the impact of rendering RAF services to citizens has improved significantly. RAF personnel are now more confident in rendering services and have earned the

public’s confidence because information is readily available and accessible – which improves the quality of claimant engagement.

Effective financial management: With the implementation of the EQMS, claimant information can now be obtained in real time from the claims management system.

As a result, the number of phone calls to the RAF call centre have dropped, leading to a cost saving.

Optimal ICT services: EQMS is an ICT service enhancement that extends the overall RAF business service offering. It is available, accessible (in terms of location) and easy to use.

Improves people management: The contribution of the EQMS to people management is mainly noticeable during times of high traffic. With the reports the system provides, one can identify service stations with long queues of claimants or attendees.

Assured control environment: Claimants’ access details are recorded in the RAF backend system through EQMS. This prevents any unauthorised access to claimant information, to counter security breaches, and to ensure claimants’ details are securely maintained.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

33

2016 Category c | WINNER

Innovative Service Delivery Institutions

Category C winner Project: Contractor Development Programme (CDP) Department: Department of Police, Roads and Transport, Free State

34

Innovating the future

2016 Category C | WINNER

Challenge

The CDP is a learnership programme implemented by the Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport to develop, train and equip emerging contractors or entrepreneurs with construction and maintenance skills and knowledge on routine road maintenance. The goal is to provide work opportunities to previously disadvantaged people to alleviate unemployment and poverty, and to intervene towards the development of capacity in the construction industry, assisting in the establishment of a sustainable economy in the Free State.

Innovation

The project identified young people and women to be trained in both theoretical and

practical road construction and maintenance techniques to improve their skills and eventually award contracts to the trainees.

Training is accredited by the appropriate SETA, the road construction industry and the Central University of Technology in the Free State. Contractors are assisted in registering with relevant authorities such as SARS, the Construction Industry Development Board and others. Once the trainees have completed their programmes, the Free State government further assists them by procuring equipment for them and awarding contracts. Mentors are also appointed to guide these contractors.

A key requirement is that the contractors employ local youth and women within the area where they have been awarded a contract. In 2011, the project started with 186

learners. Of these, 142 qualified and 37 started their own construction companies. In the 2016/17 financial year, there were 67 active contractors, CDP established a projected budget (ring-fenced for the programme) of R95 million, and 17 SMMEs were awarded grass cutting contracts.

Impact

Through the CDP, job opportunities have been created – thus addressing the issue of unemployment and poverty in the targeted areas.

More roads are being fixed and, by fixing potholes, road accidents in the Free State have been reduced. By creating job opportunities, the project has also reduced the crime rate.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

35

2016 Category d | WINNER

Innovative Enhancements of Internal Systems of Government

Category D winner Project: Revenue Enhancement Strategy Organisation: Limpopo Provincial Treasury

36

Innovating the future

2016 Category D | WINNER

Challenge

Limpopo province’s share of total provincial own receipts was assessed and found to be very low at 1.4% in 2012/13 collection. Because of the decline of the province’s national share, the Provincial Treasury considered it necessary to improve collection of own revenue to augment a more equitable share. Some of the reasons for this are attributed to the following challenges: • Ineffective and non-integrated systems in departments: - Billing systems - Patient administration verification systems - Debt management systems - Electronic data interchange • Insufficient budgets for own revenue enhancement projects in departments • Lack of appointed departmental designated revenue officers • Conservative revenue projections by departments • Absence of proper revenue collection processes and procedures in some departments • Departments and entities concluding servicelevel agreements with collecting agencies without Provincial Treasury approval • A lack of research in the identification of untapped revenue sources and revision of revenue tariffs • Departments not structured to manage own revenue effectively • Inadequate support, monitoring and evaluation in departments and entities.

• Non-surrender of unspent funds/surpluses by Schedule 3 public entities.

The innovation

Resolution of the problem came in the form of the Revenue Enhancement Strategy – an instrument to enhance own revenue by strengthening existing control processes and creating innovative ways for new revenue streams – to achieve the following seven objectives: Promote “high road” forecasting of own revenue

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Provide capacity, support and guidance to departments and entities in their revenue-generating endeavours I mprove revenue management information systems in consultation with departments and public entities

The impact

Before the implementation of the project, the province’s revenue base ranged from R512.0 million in 2011/12 to R550.5 million in the 2012/13 financial year. Revenue collection after implementation of the project produced R845 million in 2013/2014 and R1.42 billion in 2014/2015.

Examples of service delivery projects include: • Improved patient billing systems – for greater efficiency • I mproved infrastructure of wildlife resorts – creating jobs while generating revenue •O pening of multipurpose centres (unused office spaces) for registration/licensing of vehicles to minimise paying commission to municipalities (20%).

ing-fence funding to support the R identified revenue enhancement projects in the province Monitor the transfer of own revenue and surrendering of surpluses by Schedule 3 public entities into the Provincial Revenue Fund onitor the development and review M of revenue collection service-level agreements between departments/ entities and agencies onduct research on alternative C revenue streams.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

37

2016 Category A | RUNNERs-UP

Innovative Solutions First Runner-up

Reducing the Cost of Delivering Services

Second Runner-up

Third Runner-up

Project: Amputee Patient Care

Project: Cable Theft Prevention

Project: Energy Saving

Organisation: Clairwood Hospital, Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal

Organisation: Litabe Technologies, Free State

Organisation: Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Health, Western Cape

Challenge

Clairwood Hospital is the main referral hospital for amputees in Durban and surrounds. In many instances, it runs out of beds and has to discharge patients prior to proper healing. The project was started to reduce the length of hospital stays for amputee patients. A number of hospitals in KZN received pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT) machines and were only using them to treat muscular pain.

Innovation

Research revealed that the PSWT machines could be used to treat amputees for quicker healing. The machines produce high-frequency electromagnetic fields, which, in a space of six months, improve wound healing and reduce swelling.

Impact

Hospital stays for patients were reduced by 16%, with an estimated savings of R105 248 per patient. Overall savings are estimated at R12.6 million. This has reduced the cost of medical consumables and the hospital now has enough beds for new patients. Also, with faster wound healing and fewer infections, better psychological outcomes are achieved.

Challenge Challenge

South Africa has an annual loss of R5.34 billion due to cable theft. This needed to be addressed. Cable theft leads to load-shedding, generally affects service delivery.

The deployment of security guards/armed response is mostly ineffective and, in some cases, they may be overpowered by the criminals.

Innovation

The project came up with an anti-dig, anti-pull, anti-cut device to solve the problem of cable theft. There’s no need to deploy armed security, as the system sends alerts if the cables are tampered with and the security/police can be alerted to act. This is a patented innovation and an original idea.

Impact

The solution saves money spent on security guards and overtime costs, and saves lives through removing the threat of armed robberies. There is no need to replace stolen cables, no more reimbursing of factories for loss of production time, and fewer power failures.

Groote Schuur Hospital was spending a lot of money on energy and water, and it needed to reduce its own carbon footprint.

Innovation

The project addressed the daily challenge of saving energy in the public health sector. The hospital put the following improvements in place in its steam lines: re-lagging and sand blasting boilers; leak repair on flanges, valves and equipment; removal of all redundant steam lines and dead condensate return tanks; and replacement of faulty condensate trap sets, steam valves, and hot tanks. The following improvements were made in the steam generation plant: overhaul of all boiler valves and fittings; relagging of boilers; and sand blasting of boiler tubes and flues. A forum for engineers for support at different sites was set up.

Impact

System efficiency was boosted from 30% to 78%, and coal consumption was reduced by 48%. More wards were provided with access to warm water and water consumption reduced by 46%.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

39

19006 - tenaka.co.za

OUR EXPERTISE INCLUDES:

- CONSTRUCTION » BUILDINGS » CIVILS » PIPELINES

- DEVELOPMENTS - MINING - ROADS - ST HELENA AIRPORT PROJECT

AN ICON OF DISTINCTION At Basil Read, we trust that due to our unyielding pursuit of excellence over more than six decades, we are firmly placed as one of the top companies within the construction sector. This is backed by best of breed technology, continuously evolving expertise, absolute integrity and an uncompromising approach to quality. Our diverse portfolio of long standing clients is testimony to exactly that.

At Basil Read, we take into consideration how we engage with the world. For this reason, sustainability of operations that positively impact our economy, society and environment are fully integrated in our very DNA. We believe that this is how a true icon is born.

Website: www.basilread.co.za | E-mail: communications@basilread.co.za | Tel: +27 11 418 6300

2016 Category B | RUNNERS-UP

Innovative Use of ICTs for Effective Service Delivery First Runner-up

Second Runner-up

Project: CapeFarmMapper

Project: E-Learning for Health

Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Western Cape

Organisation: Department of Health, Western Cape

Challenge

The ability of general users and the public to analyse and understand GIS and spatial data was limited by the lack of available user-friendly technology.

Innovation

CapeFarmMapper, in sourcing data from multiple systems, enables as and when necessary access, by all stakeholders, to what was previously limited and scarcely available GIS data.

The web-based mapping application for both desktop and mobile devices was developed in-house and is integrated with multiple databases.

The mobile app uses GPS location to source critical information about your location, enabling field workers to quickly access critical information. The tool even enables users to easily determine suitable farming options.

Impact

The site currently registers about 8 000 visitors per month. Off-site-based officials have reported positive feedback on how the tool has made their work more efficient and effective.

Provincial departments, municipalities, conservationists and other stakeholders have found the tool to be efficient and very useful since being introduced to it.

Challenge

ICD-10 is the diagnostic code key to monitoring the impact of Sustainable Development Goals interventions on population health outcomes.

Keeping accurate ICD-10 codes is a challenge. The use of incorrect ICD-10 codes impacts on revenue collection for the hospital and makes it difficult to cost treatments.

Innovation

An e-learning platform was developed to provide cost-effective and efficient training on all levels of ICD-10 coding. The solution was developed in-house.

Classwork can be scheduled flexibly and learners can study wherever they have access to a computer and the internet. The modules allow learners to work at their own pace and different learning styles are addressed.

Impact

ICD-10 code allocation has been vastly improved in terms of accuracy. The same platform is used for assessment during the shortlisting of candidates for recruitment and for training in financial and management accounting, and supply chain management. It also has accurate disease trends, which is important for planning purposes.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

41

2016 Category c | RUNNERs-UP

Innovative Service Delivery Institutions First Runner-up Project: Agricultural Partnerships for Rural Youth Development Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Western Cape

Challenge

Inequalities of education and few skills opportunities for rural youth are the status quo. The project aims to forge relationships between farmers and farmworkers, and develop the latter.

Innovation

A platform for rural youth has been created to participate in skills development and give them an opportunity to excel, allowing the most vulnerable to consider a future in agriculture and transform the sector.

This platform includes: quality high school education, with mathematics and sciences, fully paid for by department scholarships; bursaries and learnerships awarded to farmworkers’ children only; host employer farms billboarded to encourage partnerships; strong monitoring and evaluation tools developed for the project; and the development of a farmer’s calculator by one of the learners.

Impact

The project has contributed to poverty alleviation and addresses the educational and skills development challenges experienced by rural youth. The department has placed graduates as interns at participating farms and scholarships for high school learners encourages further study in agricultural skills.

42

Innovating the future

Second Runner-up Project: Early Childhood Disability Identification and Intervention Programme Organisation: Therapy Development, Manguzi Hospital, KwaNgwanase

Third Runner-up Project: Flow Management Project Organisation: Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Health, Western Cape

Challenge

The project was initiated 10 years ago, when the hospital noticed a prevalence of disabilities among children in the area. The context is a deep rural area in KwaZulu-Natal on the Mozambique border.

Innovation

An electronic database that allows for the improved tracing, re-entering and monitoring of patients within the programmes was built. Monthly reminders are sent to patients on the database and an electronic defaulters list is compiled. Due to constant reminders, patients are likely to go for therapy, promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities and atypical neurodevelopment in society, decreasing stigma.

Impact

Symptoms are identified and treatment initiated at an early stage. The hospital is able identify defaulters and intervene through timely reminders for scheduled appointments. The database has improved the collection of statistics. Starting treatment at a young age has improved the impact of therapy. The community has responded by establishing a daycare centre for kids with development challenges.

Challenge

Congestion in the emergency unit (EU) and the delayed transfer of patients to and from wards adversely impacts on their length of stay and, ultimately, patient income. The delayed emptying of beds at ward level causes delays in patient transfers from the EU.

Innovation

The project moves away from a centralised approach, and involves employees taking ownership of the project in their respective departments. This creates an environment that encourages leadership and provides a learning platform for all employees involved. Communication between the wards, messaging and the transit lounge enhances the coordination between departments to process discharges timeously.

Impact

The goal is to reduce the average process time for discharges by 10%. Introducing a new continuous improvement culture for all employee levels, this project promotes patient-centredness and improved communication. The risk of hospital-acquired infections in the EU is reduced by the quicker provision of beds.

2016 Category D | RUNNERs-UP

Innovative Enhancements of Internal Systems of Government First Runner-up

Second Runner-up

Project: Chronic Disease Management Highway

Project: Hospital Waste Management

Organisation: Mitchell’s Plain Community Health Centre

Organisation: Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Health

Challenge

Challenge

The Mitchell’s Plain Community Health Centre (CHC) was designed to serve 300 000 people. Now, the CHC serves 700 000 people, leading to service delivery delays. The need to provide a faster, more efficient and less stressful service was clear. Higher levels of throughput and cooperation between patients and the clinic are an essential cornerstone of chronic disease management (CDM).

Innovation

The CDM Highway concept enables patients to bypass bottleneck areas in the CHC. The internal development of a patient file system formed the backbone of the solution, alongside the development of a back-to-back medicine dispensing facility and the use of non-governmental organisations to dispense medication. An SMS service was also implemented to communicate with patients.

Impact

The CDM Highway has seen major reductions in the flow of patients and service delivery has improved in all departments. Queues have been eliminated at reception and the filing system has been restored to an appropriate state.

Big hospitals produce volumes of waste, including paper, plastics, polystyrene, food, medical and hazardous waste. These volumes and the costs involved in waste management and disposal inspired the hospital to take action.

Innovation

The hospital developed a holistic approach to waste management. First was to create a polystyrene-free hospital. It was just a matter of introducing recycle bins for the different types of recyclable waste, generating income for the hospital. The hospital implemented processes to ensure compliance to medical waste disposal and developed an approach to reduce hazardous waste.

Impact

Groote Schuur is now polystyrene-free, and generated a waste income of R143 972 in FY 2015/16. As staff, patients and visitors become more accustomed to recycling, the amount of material for recycling increases. Food wastage and the amount of unused drugs is reducing and the money generated/saved is being utilised for reinvestment to become a greener hospital.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

43

2 0 1 6 SPE C IAL AWAR D S

Special Ministerial Award

GEMS Health Award

Project: Integrated E-Learning

Project: Saving Blood, Saving Lives

Organisation: Ngwanamago Primary School, Limpopo

T

his rural no-fee school nestled in Ngwanamago village, Limpopo, has brought hope and confidence to many destitute primary school learners who would normally not get an opportunity to benefit from integrating e-learning tools in their lessons.

This initiative is driven by selfless teacher Mokhudu Machaba, who uses her personal data bundles, among other things, to empower her learners at the school. Learners are able to use many applications such as SongSmith and Photo Story to stimulate their creativity and learn in a fun way. The school has demonstrated that being in an underserviced and rural area of our country is no excuse for not equipping learners with 21st century skills.

44

Innovating the future

Organisation: Edendale Hospital, Pietermaritzburg

T

The lives of many depend on the sacrifices of others, and their giving blood. As a precious resource, blood cannot be wasted and saving it results in saving lives. The most important aspect of innovation, in preventing wastage, is not the thinking up of an idea itself or the formulation of an action plan to save blood, it is the implementation of this idea and action plan.

As Dr Robert Wise says, “Innovation doesn’t need to be complicated. Sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that are the most effective. Collaborative innovation, teamwork, perseverance, and optimism are crucial for success. The journey seems more possible when you actually start walking.”

MOST INNOVATIVE AND BEST MANAGED UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH-AFRICA.

IT ALL STARTS AT THE NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY

PUBLIKASIE.indd 1

23/11/2016 09:29

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

45

North-West University

Continuous Innovation: IT ALL STARTS HERE!

North-West University is a pre-eminent African university. With an impressive history driven by the pursuit of knowledge, research and innovation, and with roots dating back 147 years, it is a leading centre of excellence.

Innovation, be it evolutionary innovation, which is the continuous or dynamic innovation brought about by many incremental advances in technology or processes, and revolutionary innovation, often disruptive in its inventiveness, is what drives the advancement of humanity. Throughout history, universities, like North-West University, have been focal points of research and scholarly development that have given birth to discoveries which have enriched humanity and its endeavours in a myriad of different ways. The NWU received a 5 star rating for Innovation through the QS Global ranking system.

With 73,414 students and a mascot called “Pukki”, North-West University (NWU) was founded on January 1, 2004 through the amalgamation of three different learning institutions into a multi-campus university with a footprint across two provinces. The Mafikeng and Potchefstroom Campuses are situated in the North-West Province and the Vaal Triangle Campus in Gauteng.

46

PUBLIKASIE.indd 2

Innovating the future

Today, NWU is recognised as one of the bestmanaged and most innovative universities in South Africa. It continues to celebrate and encourage multiculturalism, multilingualism and multinationalism. With an exceptionally rich range of study choices at undergraduate and postgraduate level, the university’s offerings span a spectrum of academic disciplines, from agriculture and arts through to commerce, engineering, education, health, law, the natural sciences and theology.

The spirit of the North-West University is reflected in the way they unlock the future for people and enable them to make their dreams come true.

Innovation Highway Enterprises (Pty) Ltd is a newly created holding company, wholly owned by the NorthWest University, which act as an incubator for early venturing in a commercial environment, from which fully fledged spin-out companies would be formed.

This regional innovation platform will stimulate innovation and economic growth and will truly be a regional player with a pipeline of technologies which would assist inventors and entrepreneurs.

We are excited to share this pre-launch news with you and please be on the look-out for the official launch in 2017.

“NWU has an excellent track record of innovation, and in a number of different areas.

Even so, we are guided by the National Development Plan (NDP) and have quite a few sustainable projects underway.

What we need is more public and private sector participation because, ultimately, our human capital development is for their benefit. They need to exploit this valuable resource.”

Prof Frik van Niekerk, Deputy ViceChancellor: Research & Innovation Support

“With 84 inventions, 320 patents, 24 licensing agreements and 22 spin-off companies, NWU has done extremely well. However, it’s not just the urbanites that should benefit from our work. We need to focus on taking our innovations and implementing these in rural areas so as to have a positive influence on the quality of life of our people. If we do this then we are having a right, balanced impact.”

Prof Deon de Beer, Director: Technology Transfer & Innovation Support

23/11/2016 09:29

North-West University

Solar car BEAMING IN THE BATMOBILE During 2015, the North-West University’s solar car became part of history by being the first African team to cross the finish line of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, finishing in 11th place overall. This epic 3 000 km journey from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia takes place every second year and in 2015 attracted 46 entrants from 25 countries.

All the NWU’s solar-powered vehicles have been designed and built by engineering students under the supervision of a technical manager. With the experience gained, the Sirius X25 was then designed and built in nine months and with a budget of R1,2 million during 2013/14. It is this car that took part in the 2014 Sasol Solar Challenge and was adapted further for the World Solar Challenge in 2015.

The Faculty of Engineering’s dream started in 2012 when they aspired to build an automobile powered only by the energy of the sun. The Batmobile, as the first car was dubbed, made its debut at the 2012 Sasol Solar Challenge where it performed above all expectations.

This event takes the form of a time-based rally challenge, where cars aim to travel the 3 000km through the Outback of Australia by using only the energy generated by their solar panels. The NWU team with the Sirius X25 completed the World Solar Challenge in 47 hours and 22 minutes, with an average speed of 71,7 km/h, outperforming teams like MIT and Cambridge University.

The team, mainly comprising first year students in their final year, received the following accolades: • Winners of the Olympia Class • South African record for longest distance travelled overall • The FIA International Award for Renewable Energy

The team are now preparing for the upcoming Sasol Solar Challenge, as well as the next World Solar Challenge in 2017.

The dream: to attain a podium position at both events.

Email: innovation@nwu.ac.za

PUBLIKASIE.indd 3

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

47

23/11/2016 09:29

North-West University

CFAM Technologies: BUILT IN AFRICA FOR AFRICA The Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (CFAM) Technologies (Pty) Ltd is a North-West University spin-off company that was established in 2007. It developed from a research project that started in 1998 to develop a South African twin-screw extruder. Today, CFAM’s extruders and its other processing technologies have earned a reputation as “Built in Africa for Africa”. CFAM is also Africa’s only manufacturer of twin-screw food extruders.

CFAM takes pride in having a winning team that lives up to its mission: to manufacture reliable food and feed processing equipment for Africa and the world. This is backed by an excellent support and maintenance team.

An assessment of CFAM’s impact for the last three years concluded the following: • The financial impact of CFAM on the South African economy has been substantial. The impact on gross domestic product due to the annual turnover generated by the implemented technologies is estimated at more than R250 million per annum.

• Approximately 90 direct new jobs (excluding indirect jobs) were created. Current and planned projects may

48

PUBLIKASIE.indd 4

Innovating the future

increase the total new jobs to more than 250 over the next two years. Indirect new jobs created are estimated at five times the number of direct jobs.

• CFAM leveraged a total co-investment of more than R120 million by industry. This constitutes plants, machinery and equipment purchased and installed by industry.

• The total import replacement value is more than R85 million.

Already a leader in extrusion in South Africa, CFAM is also expanding into the rest of Africa and internationally. It recently commissioned a processing plant in Ireland.

These achievements show how CFAM is assisting the South African government in meeting national objectives, including poverty alleviation, job creation, economic growth, increased manufacturing outputs, greater international competitiveness, affordable food supply and security, capacity development, empowerment and localisation.

Email: innovation@nwu.ac.za

23/11/2016 09:29

North-West University

Jonker Sailplanes GLIDING TO NEW HEIGHTS It was a dream come true for two Potchefstroom brothers when their world-class glider became the first South African glider to adhere to European air flight standards. Attie and Uys Jonker, together with colleague Johan Bosman, the driving force behind Jonker Sailplanes, are the proud owners of the JS1 Revelation.

The glider, boasting an 18 m wingspan, has been awarded Aircraft Type Certification by the SA Civil Aviation Authority.

This certificate is the first of its kind to be awarded on the African continent. The JS1, one of the best sailplanes today, not only demonstrates state-of-the-art technology but also a beautifully designed airframe, packed with detail and dedication; a real revelation. Jonker Sailplanes Pty Ltd (JS) is now a privately owned South African company which designs, manufactures and maintains sailplanes from their main facilities based at the Potchefstroom Airfield.

Several new innovations have been introduced to the JS1 platform since the development of the prototype. In 2012, JS launched the 21 m version of the JS1, penetrating the open class market; in 2013 the JET Sustainer option was

PUBLIKASIE.indd 5

completed and in 2014 the 18 m “EVO� outboard wings, were developed, improving the performance of the 18 m version.

A hand control system, for pilots with reduced leg function, was completed in 2014, offering disabled pilots access to a high-performance glider. All of these design innovations were made possible by government funding models, whereas the production unit is a self-sustaining business.

The current production rate of the factory is 24 gliders annually, with the 100th glider being delivered in November 2015. Ninety percent of the gliders manufactured by JS are exported, with Europe being the primary market.

The company utilises software, laboratories and research facilities at the North-West University and, through the NWU, obtains industrial and research funding that would typically be difficult to achieve for an independent enterprise in this field in South Africa. This relationship with the NWU enables Jonker Sailplanes to improve their research and design capabilities continuously, ensuring they are always at the forefront of sailplane technology.

Email: innovation@nwu.ac.za

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

49

23/11/2016 09:29

North-West University

HySA DELIVERING COST-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) is the national hydrogen brand and strategy of the Department of Science and Technology of South Africa. The overall goal of HySA is to develop and guide innovation along the value chain of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in South Africa. This will in turn bring about wealth and jobs through the initiation of new high-technology industries based on minerals found on South African soil, especially platinum group metals.

HySA consists of three Centres of Competence: HySA Infrastructure, HySA Catalyst and HySA Systems. HySA Infrastructure is co-hosted by the North-West University and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The mission of HySA Infrastructure is to deliver cost-efficient technologies for hydrogen production (linked to renewable energy), storage and distribution of hydrogen. The overall aim is to become a significant player in the renewable hydrogen production, storage and fuel cell space. The HySA team is growing and is already renowned for its international expertise in electrolysis, renewable energy, power management, membranes and fuel cells.

50

PUBLIKASIE.indd 6

Innovating the future

Demand for renewable energy is expected to grow rapidly, as will the requirements and technologies for energy storage.

Hydrogen will play a significant role in future energy storage systems and it is anticipated that large-scale deployment of hydrogen fuel cells will be required. Allied to this is the goal of developing a cost-competitive solution for generating hydrogen locally, focusing on using renewable energy.

Hydrogen can be generated by water splitting in the presence of an electro-catalyst, such as platinum and iridium.

Since South Africa has almost 75% of the world’s platinum reserves, the blossoming hydrogen economy will fuel a platinum take-off. In addition to its vast platinum reserves, South Africa and the rest of Africa have an abundance of renewable energy, more specifically solar and wind energy.

An estimated 3,2 million households in rural communities are still without electricity, and hydrogen fuel cells are a viable, economical option for supplying these households with cost-effective electricity in short time spans.

Email: innovation@nwu.ac.za

23/11/2016 09:29

North-West University

Pheroid technology ®

IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS The development of effective drug delivery systems is a national priority in South Africa, the aim being to improve the bioavailability, efficacy, safety and stability of medicines and supplements. Pheroid® technology underlies a delivery system patented by the North-West University for use with various classes of therapeutic compounds or active ingredients. Eight base patents have been granted in different countries and regions as a result of the unique characteristics of the Pheroid®. Applications of the delivery system have been licensed to national and international collaborators.

Pheroid® technology has been researched extensively and more than 60 master’s and PhD degrees have been delivered, some at international universities and institutions. Other outputs include five postdoctoral fellows who have directed research projects relating to Pheroid® technology and a total of 46 scientific peer-reviewed journal publications. The Pheroid® is a colloidal system that contains stable, submicron and micron-sized dispensing nano-vesicles and micro-sponges. These vesicles and sponges can be customised in terms of structure, size and function to suit the ingredients to be delivered, the dosage form to be used and the site to which the therapeutic compound has to be delivered.

PUBLIKASIE.indd 7

Here are some of the main characteristics of the Pheroid® system: • The essential ingredient is membranes of living cells and therefore the Pheroid® is not toxic. It moves rapidly across physical biological barriers such as the skin or cell membranes.

• Soluble, insoluble, hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules can be entrapped and carried by the Pheroid®.

• The Pheroid® protects entrapped molecules and compounds from metabolism, opsonisation, degradation and inactivation, resulting in an optimal dosage reaching the target site. This leads to the possibility of administering a lower concentration of molecules.

Several research formulations have been upscaled successfully and form the basis of one internationally commercialised and distributed agricultural product, as well as several products in the final phases of commercialisation in the cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and animal health arenas. The manufacturing of these products results in the creation of employment. Stringent quality assurance of all manufactured batches ensure that a continuous product of high quality is delivered to the client. The competitive edge of Pheroid® technology is the safe, effective and affordable delivery of therapeutic molecules. The manufacturing process is 100% environmentally friendly.

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

51

23/11/2016 09:29

North-West University

CTexT

®

EMBRACING A MULTILINGUAL SOCIETY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY The Centre for Text Technology (CTexT®) at the North-West University conducts research in the field of human language technology and develops language technology products for all of the South African languages.

to research on the simulation of cognitive processes and also from the development of computer games for language learning to research on the latest trends in machine translation.

Human language technology makes the interaction between people and computers easier by allowing people to communicate with computers in their native languages, such as isiZulu or Afrikaans. It also enables computers to understand and produce human language (speech and text), so people can have access to new technologies in the language of their choice.

CTexT®’s four main activities are: Research Development Commercialisation of products and services Maintenance of products and support to end-users/clients.

Internationally, human language technology is considered to be one of the most important technologies for the establishment of multilingualism and CTexT® is committed to the promotion and expansion of a multilingual society.

CTexT® combines innovative research with dynamic development to remain at the forefront of trends in text technological applications. Products at CTexT® vary from the development of spelling checkers for 15 African languages

52

PUBLIKASIE.indd 8

Innovating the future

CTexT®’s focus areas are: Resource-scarce languages (especially South African languages for which little data exists) Development of applications and resources for easier interaction between people and computers (e.g. spelling and grammar checkers, machine translation systems and data development) Innovative approaches to processing natural languages.

Email: innovation@nwu.ac.za

23/11/2016 09:29

MOST INNOVATIVE AND BEST MANAGED UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH-AFRICA. IT ALL STARTS AT THE NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

53

North-West University

Science Centre EXPLORING THE WORLD THROUGH NATURAL PHENOMENA The Science Centre at the North-West University was launched in 2005 and is aligned with the vision and mission of the Department of Science and Technology. It offers visitors the opportunity to investigate natural phenomena through discovery. The number of exhibits now stands at 107 inside and seven outside in the garden.

All exhibits are presented on two levels: a fun level for young and old, and a popular scientific level for the more mature visitor. It takes about 16 hours to work with care through all the exhibits. Topics covered or touched on include nearly all branches of science, engineering and technology. Exhibits are presented in the internationally used POE style (P = Predict, O = Observe and E = Explain).

In 2008 the NWU Science Centre entered into an exchange programme with the University of Gävle, Sweden (the Linnehaus-Palme Exchange programme). Each year until 2015, two or more staff members from the NWU visited Sweden for about one month, and two or more Swedish academics visited the NWU for the same length of time.

54

PUBLIKASIE.indd 9

Innovating the future

Annually, the Science Centre presents four rounds of the Astro Quiz. The fifth round is a national round held at a site determined by the South African Association for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA).

Each year, SAASTA provides funds to manufacture new exhibits and enable the Science Centre to present the National Science Week, which promotes science, engineering and technology (SET). The ultimate aim is to draw more students into SET to contribute to the growth of the South African economy and to improve the quality of people’s lives.

Prof Jan Smit was honoured to receive a “Science Oscar” during a gala dinner at the Emperors Palace in the category for communication for outreach and creating awareness in 2016. Jan was one of eight NWU finalists in the National Science and Technology Forum’s (NSTF) prestigious science awards.

Email: innovation@nwu.ac.za

23/11/2016 09:29

MOST INNOVATIVE AND BEST MANAGED UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH-AFRICA. IT ALL STARTS AT THE NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY

P U B L I C S E C T O R I n n o v a tio n A w a r d s

55

LOO K ING BA C K

CPSI Awards Past Winners

2006

2011

Community Based Seed Production Organisation: Limpopo Department of Agriculture

Rural Sustainable Villages in the Chris Hani District Municipality Organisation: Chris Hani District Municipality, Eastern Cape

Project:

2007

2012

Project:

Case Flow Management & Service Excellence Organisation: Port Elizabeth Family Advocate Office

2008

Project:

Ligbron E-learning Organisation: Mpumalanga Department of Education

2013

Project:

Pulamadibogo Permaculture Organisation: Limpopo Department of Education

2009

Project:

Animal Health Programme at Rust de Winter Communal Farming Area Organisation: Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Province

Project:

2014

Project:

Jojo Diesel Tanks Organisation: Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport

Waverley Community Library & Information Centre Organisation: City of Tshwane, Gauteng Street Children Database Organisation: Future Vision SA, Free State

2010

Project:

2015

Project:

Project:

Water Programme for Pre-schools Organisation: Mpumalanga Department of Education – Pre-school Water Project

Project:

Gauteng Integrated Decision Support (GIDS) Organisation: Gauteng Department of Agriculture

56

Project:

Innovating the future

Workplace Delivery of Medication Organisation: Port Shepstone Provincial Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal

MOST INNOVATIVE AND BEST MANAGED UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH-AFRICA.

IT ALL STARTS AT THE NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY

CONTACT US +27 12 683 2800 +27 86000 CPSI (2774) +27 12 643 0943 info@cpsi.co.za cpsiinnov8 www.cpsi.co.za official.cpsi twitter.com/cpsi_sa

Centre for Public Service Innovation Postnet Highveld Suit 404 Private Bag X111 Centurion 0001

Corporate 66 Office Park Corner Von Willigh & Lenchen Street Centurion|Pretoria South Africa