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Three aspiring engineers from the Kouga region are charting a brighter academic path, thanks to a powerful collaboration between Maximum Profit Recovery (MaxProf), EST Sourcing, and Kouga Local Municipality. Last week, bursaries totalling R55 552.00 were handed over to the students, with MaxProf’s Eastern Cape Regional Manager, Cedric Mataka, and Kouga Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman, in attendance.
For the first time ever, the StrongHer International Award – a global initiative celebrating unstoppable women – is coming to South Africa, and Kouga Local Municipality has the honour of launching it locally. The award is part of an exciting international collaboration between the City of Birmingham, Alabama, and Kouga Local Municipality, with the first Kouga winner to be crowned in August 2025.
In a significant step towards modernising internal processes, Kouga Local Municipality has unveiled its first-ever in-house developed online leave management system — a move that sets a new benchmark in local government innovation. The innovation is set to not only enhance efficiency but also underscore the municipality’s commitment to digital transformation and smart governance. Initiated in May this year, the system is currently in its pilot phase and being actively tested by departmental managers within the Office of the Deputy Municipal Manager, Dawie de Jager. The new system replaces the traditional paper-based process that often led to delays and inefficiencies.
In the world of infrastructure, where concrete meets community, Amanda Nyathela is a force of quiet determination. Recently appointed as Kouga Local Municipality’s new Manager for Roads and Stormwater, Nyathela brings a wealth of technical expertise, a legacy of mentorship, and a deep-rooted passion for transformative service delivery. Born and raised in East London, Nyathela’s early years were shaped by a fascination with the visible impact of infrastructure. After matriculating, she pursued that passion at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, where she studied civil engineering, laying the groundwork for a career centered on people, progress, and purpose. She is now proudly registered as a Professional Engineering Technologist (Pr. Tech. Eng.) with the Engineering Council of South Africa.
From a young age, Nathaniel Martin envisioned himself shaping skylines as an architect. Although the title reads architectural technologist, his qualifications gave his creativity the wings it needed to soar. Recently appointed as Coordinator: Auxiliary at Kouga Local Municipality (KLM), Martin steps into a role that threads the essential behind-the-scenes fabric of service delivery – overseeing building and facilities maintenance, logistics, equipment support, and daily operations that keep municipal spaces running smoothly.
The first 75 houses – forming part of the initial phase of 568 units, valued at over R94.5 million and included in the broader Ocean View 1 500 Housing Project – are scheduled for completion and handover to beneficiaries by the end of August 2025.
In the little town of Thornhill, just outside the hustle of Kouga’s municipal centre, lives a woman rewriting the playbook of local sports leadership. At 28, Ziyanda Kilimani is more than a filing clerk at Kouga Local Municipality’s Community and Safety Services, more than a mother, and far more than just another face in the crowd – she is the founder of Thornhill Uprising Stars Football Club, a beacon of hope for dozens of boys in her community and the first woman in Kouga to lead a football team to Inland Stream Premier League victory.
