The Central
Mechanical & Equipment Department (CMED) will next week start installing
trackers on all Government vehicles to monitor their movement, collecting
information on vehicle performance and behaviour of drivers.
This is in line with the Government’s cost-containment
measures, announced by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor
Mthuli Ncube in the 2019 National Budget Statement.
The policy seeks to ensure the safety of Government workers
while operating vehicles, promote efficient and effective use of Government
vehicles, prevent abuse and to establish standards and procedures for all
employees who drive Government vehicles.
In an interview yesterday, CMED chief executive officer
Engineer Davison Mhaka said they had approved a tender to install the tracking
system starting next month.
“To ease the management of this fleet, CMED has harnessed
the power of technology by placing all pool vehicles under a vehicle tracking
system that enables the organisation to monitor and control each vehicle. By so
doing, CMED will be in a position to enforce directives from Government, for
example, to ensure that such vehicles are left parked at offices after work.
“This is possible because the tracking system has a switch
on/off facility which CMED remotely uses to enforce Government directive. The
tender for the tracking system was floated in March 2019 and was awarded to a
local company at the end of May. Installation of the system will start in July
2019,” he said.
“Prior to this new policy position, these vehicles were
under the custody of various Government ministries. In line with the new policy
position, CMED ought to compile a consolidated asset register.
“To that end, Treasury will soon issue a circular to all
concerned ministries asking them to register their vehicles with CMED,” he said.
Eng Mhaka said the trend the world over was to ensure that
vehicles were used for Government business only and not for personal use.
“Over and above that, the tracking system also offers the
following benefits; it safeguards Government assets as driver behaviour is
monitored in terms of speed, braking habits and fuel consumption and stolen
vehicles are recoverable through the system’s remote control switch on/off
facility,” Eng Mhaka said. Herald
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