Powerfleet Africa turns safety from reactive to proactive at SABOA
Powerfleet Africa turns safety from reactive to proactive at SABOA
Powerfleet Africa had a strong presence at this year’s SABOA Convention, using the platform to show how its rebrand and technology roadmap are reshaping bus and truck safety. During the event, BAREND VAN WYK sat down with the company’s senior executives to unpack partnerships, product direction, and the shift from incident evidence to incident prevention.
Powerfleet Africa used this year’s SABOA Convention to demonstrate how its rebrand and product roadmap are moving fleet safety from post-incident analysis to real-time prevention. And its senior executives spoke with one voice when they explained that their goal was simple: to ensure safe passage on every route for public transport users.
“Our strategy starts with the OEMs,” said Trevor Steenkamp, VP sales – new business at Powerfleet Africa. “When you partner with manufacturers, you get a direct line to end users. Large fleets no longer run a single marque – multiple OEMs now serve the same customer – so we’re heavily invested in the truck and bus industry to support that reality.”
He added that SABOA sits alongside other long-standing industry commitments: “We’ve supported the Road Freight Association for years with bespoke heavy-commercial solutions, and SABOA is equally important for bus and coach – not only in South Africa, but across Africa and further afield.”
Safety: a key pillar
For Sershin Govender, VP – sales operations & business development, the anchor is unambiguous. “Safety is one of our key pillars. Being at SABOA is about moving people safely,” he elaborated. “We’ve seen too many passenger incidents – including scholar transport – and government has issued new tenders requiring tracking on school buses. We’re part of that drive. Our camera-based solutions surface harsh braking, acceleration, and other risk signals on which we can act.”
The rebrand gave the company a fresh canvas. “We’ve been a long-standing SABOA member,” said Govender. “With our transition from MiX Telematics to Powerfleet, this was the year to go full green, show up, and represent what we’re bringing to market. Many transporters here are already our customers, so it’s valuable to demonstrate progress – not just talk about it.”
Prevention to the fore
A central theme is turning video and AI from courtroom evidence into live intervention. “AI used to be reactive; now we’re using it proactively,” explained Kenneth Bailey, executive consultant – fleet. “We’ve set up a real-time operations centre that monitors AI alerts around the clock. When a potential risk is detected, our team immediately contacts the customer with the ability to intervene, even stopping a vehicle or bus before an incident occurs. In the first nine months, across an initial 3,000 vehicles, we recorded one accident – and it wasn’t fatal. The process is so quick, the only delay now is making the call. That’s revolutionary in the video space.”
The same “act now” philosophy runs through its analytics. “We’re doing predictive analytics on real-time events. Our 24/7 control centre is managing risk live, not retrospectively,” explained Steenkamp, while Govender pointed to the flagship layer: “Our add-on module, SafeGuard, acts as a co-pilot for operations managers. It flags high-risk driver behaviour before accidents happen, detects fatigue, prioritises interventions based on actual risk levels, and enables real-time communication with drivers through the VisionAI camera.”
Fuel protection rounded out the showcase. “We’re demonstrating fuel security on buses with TankSafe anti-siphon devices,” said Bailey. “PUTCO is one of our biggest adopters on trucks, and Daimler began fitting anti-siphon devices on buses last year – making it the first OEM to take a proven truck approach into the bus space.”
Transformation and market development were woven into every conversation. “Our solutions scale to a customer’s needs and budget,” said Steenkamp. “We’ll recommend from the data where we add value, but fleets can start with a baseline and upscale.” Govender, meanwhile, noted that being a Level 1 B-BBEE company means more than a rating for Powerfleet. “It’s about building meaningful partnerships. We support and upskill local businesses so they can take our solutions further, opening doors to communities that might otherwise be overlooked,” he explained.
Commercial gains
The commercial energy at SABOA was tangible. “We had good discussions with existing and potential clients. Face-to-face beats a boardroom for unlocking what’s next,” stressed Govender. “Past customers came by, and new conversations started, which was good because we’ve grown and the technology has evolved.”
Looking ahead, Govender framed Powerfleet’s role across the mobility ecosystem: “Safety and sustainability are our cornerstones. We’ve spent three decades in South African telematics with a wide footprint – OEMs, fuel suppliers, the Road Transport Management System (RTMS), SABOA, and the Road Freight Association. As the country moves towards lower-emission transport and, ultimately, electric vehicles, we’ll keep the technology front and centre with the right partners.” Steenkamp, meanwhile, brought the focus back to first principles: “The driver and passengers are the biggest asset. Our job is to keep rubber on tar and people safe. You can’t put a price on a life – that’s the ultimate goal.”
From OEM alignment and predictive analytics to anti-siphon hardware and 24/7 intervention, Powerfleet’s SABOA message was clear: it is all about safety that prevents, not just records. Because that’s ultimately how to stop accidents from happening in the first place.
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