Utilising free municipal Wi-Fi as a planning tool to support SMMEs

South African municipalities are constitutionally mandated to support Local Economic Development (LED). In townships, common businesses anchoring LED activities such as spaza shops, salons, car washes, shisanyamas and internet cafés increasingly rely on access to data for their optimal functioning, accessing the markets, and becoming profitable and competitive. However, current municipal SMME support programmes largely overlook data as a critical LED resource. Using a mixed-method approach, this study analysed literature, policy documents, and collected primary data through stakeholder interviews, expert engagements, and a web-based survey of 110 SMMEs in the City of Tshwane. The findings show that reliable and affordable data access is essential for local business sustainability. Yet many SMMEs struggle with network limitations and high data costs. Over 90% of Tshwane SMMEs reported a need for data, while 79% of them rely on Tshwane free-Wi-Fi. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for municipalities to strengthen digital inclusion.