Interviewed by Tony Korsten | Written by Ana Lorton
Over the past few decades, the facilities management sector of the property industry has undergone significant growth and professionalisation. It is finally gaining recognition as a critical component of operational success in building, as well as infrastructure creation and management. Once considered a purely logistical function, facilities management has matured into a strategic discipline that drives efficiency, sustainability and value creation. Within this context, Afroteq has evolved into a specialist consultancy offering a suite of advisory services to help public and private sector clients navigate the complexities of facilities management.
Afroteq forms part of the AFMS Group, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025.
Standing from left: Pieter Vlok – Head: SFP, Sjaneen Pyper – Sales & Business Development / Behind left: Sanett Uys – Head: Advisory Services / Front centre: Xolisa Fumba – Director / Front right: Natasja Ware – Afroteq Academy Manager / Behind right: Robert Palmer – Head: Professional Services / Insert: Seipati Leboko – Head: OHSE
Grant Ranger, MD of the AFMS Group, and Xolisa Fumba, Executive Director of Afroteq, share with Asset a brief history of Afroteq’s evolution and positioning, and its vision for the future.
The company was established in 1999 and was acquired by AFMS Group in 2014. The group’s structure and offering have been refined over the years so that Afroteq’s sister company, FM Solutions, provides a full suite of operational facilities management services whilst Afroteq provides specialist advisory expertise and consulting services.
Afroteq has not only adapted to the changing demands of South Africa’s infrastructure and FM landscape but has also taken a leading role in shaping best practices in asset management, programme management, and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
A trusted partner in FM expertise
When Afroteq was brought in under the AFMS Group umbrella, its focus and suite of services were gradually refined not only to be complementary to the work of other businesses in the group, but to position the company as a trusted partner in the FM advisory space. Grant, who has an extensive background in civil engineering, explains that this evolution was designed to align with market needs.
“When I took on my current role and with the acquisition of Afroteq some ten years ago, it quickly became clear that we needed a specialised skillset in the business,” he says. “Unlike engineers who have technical and numerical strengths, facilities management requires a more diverse skillset including people skills, legal and contractual knowledge, project and programme management expertise and a good practical understanding of infrastructure. The specialist consulting work that is now Afroteq’s core competency supports the FM work that FM Solutions does on the ground.”
Today, Afroteq is a multidisciplinary advisory and professional services company specialising in the built environment, facilities management, and property sectors. It offers a wide range of services designed to enhance operational efficiency and strategic decision-making for clients. Its expertise spans project and asset management, quantity surveying, occupational health and safety, environmental management and facilities technology integration.
Afroteq also provides comprehensive training through its Afroteq Academy, offering accredited courses in facilities management, occupational health and safety, and related fields. The academy focuses on professional development, delivering qualifications aligned with industry standards, including ISO 41001:2018. It has received recognition for its contributions to the facilities management industry in South Africa.
Key services include:
Advisory services: Facilities management consulting, business project management and strategic programme planning.
Project and programme management: From design and space planning to turnkey projects and property development management.
Asset management: Services such as asset verification, lifecycle costing and maintenance planning.
Health, safety and environmental services: Risk assessments, compliance audits and waste management.
Quantity surveying: Cost management, contract documentation, dispute resolution and development advisory service for a diverse range of clients.
Building a structured FM sector
Facilities management remains a relatively young industry in South Africa. Grant, Xolisa and their teams have long recognised the need to professionalise the sector. “FM does not have decades or even centuries of established standards like engineering, which has a variety of accepted contract forms and standards that have resulted in a profession that is generally well-governed and administered,” comments Grant.
Xolisa adds to this, saying that contracts, tenders and bills of quantities put out to market by clients looking to source FM services are often underdeveloped – which ultimately puts the client at a disadvantage.
To address this, Afroteq has incorporated extensive quantity surveying services into its business to facilitate robust contract construction and certification processes that are better suited to client needs. Additionally, health and safety have become a cornerstone of the company’s integrated service offering. In recent years the group has acquired a health and safety business which now enables it to provide a turnkey approach to FM and infrastructure projects.
Bridging the gap: asset management and maintenance culture
One of the biggest challenges that the team has recognised in the FM space – and one which Afroteq’s services seek to remedy – is the inefficient approach to asset management and maintenance that exists, particularly in public sector facilities. “While it takes two to five years to construct a building, the actual lifespan of that building is 20 to 40 years,” points out Grant. “While we have excellent construction skills in South Africa, we are not equally skilled at maintaining our buildings and infrastructure.”
He believes that much of this stems from the lack of adequate skills upfront to facilitate effective maintenance over the life of the asset. The Afroteq team’s observations are that clients in this market often do not know where to start in putting maintenance and FM contracts together.
In the public sector particularly, there is a prevalent ‘run-to-failure’ mentality and a capital replacement culture rather than a maintenance approach.
Afroteq has honed its expertise in creating asset management plans and facilities operating manuals to counteract this issue. These tools help clients transition from reactive to proactive maintenance strategies. “Our approach to asset management is distinct from the accounting perspective,” explains Xolisa.
“While financial audits focus on book value and depreciation, we focus on preservation and extending the useful life of assets.”
Adapting to an evolving market
The construction and property industries have faced significant challenges in recent years, from the economic downturn to the impact of Covid-19. Many of the large construction and consulting firms that once dominated the industry have dissolved or fragmented into smaller businesses. This makes strategic partnerships and specialised expertise more critical than ever as firms like Afroteq seek to offer a comprehensive range of services to clients.
The ability to spot gaps in the market is also important, and one of these has been the need for programme management in the built environment.
Afroteq has developed significant programme management capabilities that differentiate its services in the market and bolster its reputation. Managing complex programmes often requires a multidisciplinary approach and people who are able to operate in large teams of professionals. Afroteq has been doing this successfully for many years.
Embracing technology in facilities Management
Technology has become an integral part of modern FM, and Xolisa comments that Afroteq is committed to being at the forefront of this transformation. “The industry has been moving in this direction for years. We adopted asset management technology early on, which allows us to conduct condition assessments and manage maintenance more efficiently,” he remarks.
Predictive and proactive maintenance, driven by data and the Internet of Things (IoT), is becoming much easier and enables facilities managers to monitor and manage assets in the client environment with greater ease than ever before.
“Sensors can monitor aspects of building performance such as energy consumption or the performance of particular plant and equipment, and generate data for informed decision-making. Predictive maintenance is particularly important in terms of delivering value to clients,” Xolisa continues. He acknowledges that there is still room for growth – and technology is moving quickly – but Afroteq aspires to be the most tech-savvy business in its space.
Public-private partnerships: opportunities and challenges
Afroteq’s experience in PPPs has positioned it as a trusted advisor in this complex space. “PPPs have been a challenging but important area of growth for us because the upfront costs can be high, but the long term annuity income makes them worthwhile,” Grant notes.
The company has been involved in several high-profile PPP projects, including the Agrivaal building, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) campus, and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) campus buildings in Pretoria. Afroteq generally seeks out transport-related projects as well as hospitals and commercial buildings, as these are areas in which it has the most developed expertise. For several years now, it has also operated a fully-fledged division focusing on PPP development, run by Xolisa.
Xolisa explains Afroteq’s advisory role in PPPs, which involves partnering with legal, financial and other specialists to ensure that operational objectives are met and that the public sector party is not at risk throughout the project. He points out that because of the long-term nature of these projects, consistent delivery over time can be problematic, and Afroteq plays an important role in making sure the objectives of the PPP agreement are met over the life of a project.
An important lesson that the industry is learning all too slowly, Grant believes, is the importance of integrating facilities management experts into the design and build phases of projects – especially PPPs. He points out that there are too many examples of facilities managers inheriting problems in a building which could have been avoided if they had been able to give input from inception.
Celebrating 25 years – and more to come
As Afroteq prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the company is focused on consolidating its strengths and exploring new opportunities. “A 25-year milestone for any organisation is significant,” Grant says. “It reflects our solidity, experience and the loyalty of our team.” Xolisa adds that the strategy going forward is to strengthen the company’s position in the built environment. “We want to continue to deliver quality services, expand our client base and contribute to industry advancement through innovation and technology,” he notes.
Afroteq aims to remain a preferred and specialist FM-related consulting business, while continuing to innovate and adapt to market demands. “We are committed to shaping the built environment in South Africa through our expertise and partnerships, and to playing our part in building a better industry,” Grant concludes.
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