19 Mar 2019

Parliament has been informed that government intends to source out fuelling of government vehicles to the private sector.

Minister of Transport and Communications, Ms Dorcas Makgato said the move was informed by the fact that inefficiencies had been experienced in the government fuel points.

Ms Makgato stated that government fleet stood at 11 740, comprising of 10 896 vehicles and 844 fleet being tractors, earthmoving equipment amongst others.

The move to outsource, said Ms Makgato, was also informed by operating times of 7:30am to 4:30pm at Central Transport Organisation (CTO) fuel points which adversely impacted on service provision, especially at times of emergencies outside operating hours.

She further said the results of study commissioned in 2007 to look at options to address the identified shortcomings also necessitated the move. 

She added that the study report recommended that the fueling of government vehicles be outsourced to the private sector.

Government, the minister said also preferred to facilitate private sector participation in the economy to promote competition and to improve efficiencies and accelerate economic growth by stimulating entrepreneurship and investment by citizens.

Ms Makgato explained that PEEPA and the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Green Technology and Energy Security were coordinating the transition.

“We believe that the private sector is now ready to take up the service. There are many operating private filling stations around most areas in the country,” she said.

In addition, she noted that outsourcing would be done in a phased approach to ensure that service delivery was not adversely affected, adding that the CTO fuel point would be leased to citizens who would be required to fuel government vehicles.

Ms Makgato told the House that the expected benefit was that the fuel points would be improved by the lessee to meet commercial fuel station standards, adding that fueling of government fleet would not be limited to normal government working hours.

She was responding to a questing from the Member of Parliament for Nkange, Mr Edwin Batshu who wanted the minister to state the size of government fleet and if it was true that government intended to outsource the fueling of government vehicles to the private sector and also asked what informed the decision.

MP Batshu also asked the minister if she could assure the House whether such a move would not have a negative impact on service delivery. ENDS