eThekwini Municipality teams up with Altech Netstar

Seven-thousand vehicles in the eThekwini Municipality fleet will soon sport Netstar vehicle-tracking technology as part of a three-year contract between the two parties for the supply, integration and maintenance of this solution.

The multi-million-rand deal – which will involve technology being deployed across the entire fleet – enables the municipality to track, monitor, communicate and respond in real time.

Pierre Bruwer, Netstar MD, says: “Our technology solutions will be used to assist the eThekwini Municipality to provide a seamless transport service to its citizens. Partnering with our customers to empower them is part of the Altron fabric – particularly with regard to skills development and service delivery.”

Skills transfer forms part of the contract, and Netstar has committed to ensuring both skills development and female empowerment. Netstar runs an 18-month technician apprenticeship programme, which entails training eThekwini’s female employees as technicians within the Fleet Systems and Monitoring division. They have studied electrical engineering with support from the eThekwini Municipality, Netstar and on-site mentors.

Senior manager at the municipality’s city fleet, Suben Govender, says that the unit is passionate about ensuring employment equity and the transfer of skills.

“In our previous model we appointed a service provider to handle the maintenance of our tracking systems, but there was little to no skills transfer. It is imperative that the youth are empowered so that they become employable,” he notes.

“Netstar has been a leader in the safety and security industry in South Africa and is proud to have been selected by the eThekwini Municipality to provide a critical service. Government is a key customer for us, as we continue our journey to provide citizens with innovative solutions that matter,” concludes Bruwer.