Smart, Safe, Sustainable: How Strategic Facilities Management is Transforming South Africa’s Built Environment

Top 3 Key Takeaways

• Strategic outsourcing and smart technology are reducing costs and increasing resilience in South Africa’s facility operations.
• Compliance with safety and maintenance regulations is driving a shift toward integrated, proactive facilities management.
• From reactive fixes to planned care, a culture shift is reshaping how facilities are managed across sectors.

In South Africa’s dynamic built environment, facility managers are no longer behind-the-scenes caretakers - they are now frontline strategists driving operational excellence, compliance, and sustainability.

Public holidays and seasonal downtime expose the cracks in traditional maintenance models, underscoring the urgency for smarter, more integrated systems. As the country’s infrastructure expands, so too must the intelligence of the systems that manage it.

The Shift Toward Intelligent Facilities Management

‍Extended holiday periods, such as those in April and May, often leave buildings under-occupied, which can allow latent issues like system failures or security gaps to surface. According to Mandla Msweli, COO at Broll Integrated Facilities Management (Broll IFM), these quiet times offer both challenges and opportunities:

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“Extended periods of low occupancy can unmask underlying issues within a facility. Implementing smart technologies ensures operations remain seamless, even with fewer people on-site.”

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This need for smarter oversight reflects a broader transformation across the sector - from manual, reactive maintenance to integrated, tech-enabled solutions designed to anticipate and resolve problems before they escalate.

Compliance and Policy: A Catalyst for Outsourcing

‍South African regulations, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act and SANS 1752:2017, place a legal and ethical obligation on organisations to maintain safe, functional spaces. The Public Works Facilities Maintenance Policy further pushes for performance tracking and preventative upkeep.

These mandates are encouraging both public and private entities to outsource facilities management to experts like Broll IFM, who bring strategic insight and systems thinking to the table.

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“Facilities managers today are not just caretakers - they’re compliance officers, sustainability drivers, and operational strategists,” says Msweli.

Technology Meets Strategy: The Rise of Smart Systems

‍The integration of intelligent platforms like Broll IFM’s Integrator Delivery System is transforming facilities into interconnected ecosystems. Features such as IoT monitoring, energy management, and predictive maintenance enable clients to consolidate services and gain real-time visibility over assets - all under a single contract.

A recent survey found that 59% of businesses have cut operational expenses and improved competitiveness through outsourcing, highlighting the financial and strategic value of expert-led facilities management.

From Firefighting to Future-Proofing

‍In many South African sectors, infrastructure development outpaces maintenance. Broll IFM is reversing this trend by embedding its teams within client environments to create a culture of foresight and resilience.

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“We’ve taken facilities from 80% reactive to 80% proactive maintenance,” notes Msweli. “This shift prevents breakdowns and enhances long-term value.”

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This people-centric approach, powered by data and supported by compliance, positions facilities management as a business enabler - not just a background function.

A Smarter Way Forward

‍The future of South Africa’s built environment hinges on how well organisations manage complexity, cost, and compliance. Strategic facilities management - combining people, platforms, and process - is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

With leaders like Broll IFM driving the charge, the sector is moving toward a smarter, safer, and more sustainable future.

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“Delivering safe, sustainable, and smart facilities isn’t optional anymore, it’s essential,” says Msweli.

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