Introduction and backgroundResearch indicates that it is vital for customers to be consistently satisfied if organisations are to be successful (Deng et al. 2017). Customer satisfaction is essential for service-oriented publicsector entities, such as municipalities that must ensure citizens receive quality services that meet or exceed their expectations (Twala 2014). Consequently, municipalities are mandated to use available resources to deliver quality services. Employees in service-oriented municipalities frequently interact with customers, during which they represent both the municipalities and services provided (Jerry 2014). Fogli (2015) indicated that satisfied customers and motivated employees are important to municipalities in meeting their obligations. Given the critical role of employees in meeting the expectations of the public during service experience, it is essential for municipalities to implement practices and strategies that ensure employees are motivated and satisfied in order to deliver quality service. Luddy ( 2015) identified inefficiency and ineffectiveness as major problems affecting the ability of the South African public sector to offer high-quality services. Challenges associated with many South African municipalities include poor governance, poor monitoring and accountability, lack of proper financial management, high backlogs and high turnover rates amongst officials occupying critical positions (Pretorius & Schurink 2017). Inability to provide basic municipal services effectively and efficiently to the satisfaction of Background: In South Africa, municipal service delivery is characterised by a low level of motivation amongst employees, poor service quality and a high level of citizen dissatisfaction, often resulting in violent protests. Aim:The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between municipal employees' motivation and quality of services delivered. Setting:The study was conducted at a selected municipality in the Western Cape province, which is unnamed for ethical reasons.Methods: In this quantitative study, two main hypotheses were advanced to examine the relationship between employee motivation and service quality, and six hypotheses tested the relationship between leadership, job satisfaction, career growth, organisational culture, physical work environment, work group teams and service quality. The sample consisted of 121 employees selected from a target population of 219 using simple random sampling technique. A five-point Likert-scale survey questionnaire was administered. Data were captured on an Excel sheet and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The analysis was done descriptively and correlationally.Results: Whilst analysis of descriptive statistics showed low mean scores for motivation and five of its six constructs, indicating low motivation amongst municipal employees, correlational analysis confirmed the six hypotheses for the constructs, with different degrees of positive correlation between them and service quali...