The City’s Fleet Management Department maintains approximately 10 000 vehicles that support the provision of essential services. The Fleet Management Framework ensures the fleet is data-driven, uses technology intelligently, protects workers through tracking, manages resources responsibly and pursues sustainability. From procurement to maintenance, and optimisation to disposal, this department ensures the fire engines arrive, refuse is collected, parks are maintained, water mains and streetlights are repaired, and roads remain accessible.

‘Simply put: when the fleet performs well, the City performs well, and when the City performs well, our residents have access to essential services. Every vehicle that is available when needed contributes to a service being delivered. Every well-maintained piece of equipment supports operational readiness. Every improvement in fleet efficiency contributes to the responsible management of public resources and this past financial year marks an important period in the evolution of how we manage the City’s fleet,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys, at the Fleet Management Recognition and Rewards Ceremony on Monday.

The past financial year Fleet Management made huge progress in the implementation of the Fleet Management Framework 2025 – 2030, improved fleet maintenance and operational efficiency, strengthened financial stewardship, and the use of technology and telematics and initiatives to support a more sustainable and future-ready fleet. The award ceremony recognised and celebrated the employees whose commitment and collective efforts enable service delivery.

Maintenance

The Fleet Management Framework of 2025 to 2030 provides the roadmap towards a more customer-centric, data-driven, sustainable, and innovative fleet function where the City’s fleet is managed more intelligently to improve efficiency, strengthen safety and deliver greater value to the residents of Cape Town. 

• During the 2025/26 financial year, Fleet Management achieved an impressive 99,04% of the fleet being maintained
• This performance percentage has been achieved through thousands of maintenance activities, inspections, repairs, technical assessments, planning decisions, and operational interventions 

‘The employees who made this possible are the artisans, technicians, supervisors, planners, workshop teams, fleet controllers, stores personnel, administrators and managers. It is testament to their dedication to ensure the City’s fleet and equipment are available and fit for service delivery,’ said Alderman Uys. 

Technology and tracking keeping officials safe in the field

• Another important achievement is the continued rollout of vehicle tracking and telematics, which is much more than knowing where a vehicle is
• It is about strengthening the safety and security of the employees who operate City vehicles across our communities every day
• Vehicle tracking provides an additional layer of protection for our people, particularly those working in the field and operating in challenging environments. 

‘Through real-time vehicle visibility and the Fleet Risk and Operations Control Centre, Fleet Management is strengthening its ability to monitor vehicle movements, identify unusual activity and support a more rapid operational response when incidents occur. This is particularly important in situations such as vehicle theft, hijacking and other incidents that may place our employees at risk,’ said Alderman Uys. 

At the same time, telematics supports better route planning, improved fleet utilisation, operational oversight, and insights into driver behaviour, helping the City promote safer and more responsible vehicle operations. 

‘The achievement is not simply that more vehicles are connected to a tracking system. It is that we are using technology to strengthen our ability to support our people, improve our response capability and create a safer, smarter and more responsive fleet,’ said Alderman Uys.

Another important milestone is the development of the Fleet Centre of Excellence that provides a platform for collaboration, innovation, standardisation and the sharing of best practice across the City's fleet environment. The centre creates opportunities to share knowledge, develop practical solutions and continuously improve the way the City’s fleet is managed.

Building a greener, future-ready fleet, greater value and investing in people

The development of the New Energy Vehicle Adoption Plan is an important part of this journey.

‘With approximately 10 000 fleet assets, Fleet Management has a significant responsibility to consider how the City can transition towards more sustainable and lower-carbon fleet solutions. This is not simply about purchasing electric vehicles, but requires careful consideration of infrastructure, operational requirements, costs, partnerships and long-term planning,’ said Alderman Uys.

During this period, Fleet Management has continued to focus on efficiency, optimisation and value for money through the development of Total Cost of Ownership models and operational baselines. This work helps to better understand the full cost of fleet assets, strengthen lifecycle planning and identify opportunities for improved efficiency and longer- term savings. 

‘We can speak about frameworks, technology, vehicles, data and systems, but none of these achievements happen without people. People make Fleet Management work. It is the artisan in the workshop. It is the technician diagnosing a problem, the supervisor coordinating a team, and the driver operating a vehicle safely. 

‘It is the planner ensuring that resources are available, the employee working behind the scenes to ensure that administration, procurement, finance, systems and support functions are in place, the manager making difficult decisions and the employee who goes the extra mile when something needs to be resolved urgently. These contributions may not always be visible to the public, but they are essential. And that is why Recognition and Reward is so important,’ Alderman Uys concluded.