ABOUT US
About / Company Overview
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Zeda Limited holds the license to the iconic Avis brand in South Africa and 10 other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Zeda operates the widely recognised Avis and Budget global brands, under a long-term license agreement with the Avis Budget Group.
Established in 1967, Avis Rent a Car is one of the oldest car rental companies in South Africa. The company has over 1,100 employees and over
18,000 vehicles in the fleet. Our car rental offering is broken down into several categories and we sell a range of value-add products.
Avis Fleet was established in 1980 and has grown to become Africa’s largest fleet management company, employing over 300 people and
managing more than 240,000 vehicles. Avis Fleet’s solutions provide customers with the expertise, experience, and technology to enhance the
operation of their vehicles. Solutions are uniquely shaped around customers’ business vision and objectives and easily adapted as needs change
to help customers get maximum business mileage from corporate fleet management.
Avis Car Sales is the used car disposal channel for both rental and leasing vehicles through an extensive network. Learn more
Our Purpose
Zeda’s purpose is “connecting humanity”.
Our mobility solutions foster greater connections between individuals, unlock new business opportunities, support the growth of several industries and ultimately contribute to Africa’s economic development.
- Connecting humanity across the Southern African economy
- Enabling individuals to get to their places of work
- Propelling industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, mining and telecoms
- Partnering with public sector to enable effective service delivery
- Providing mobility to clinch those pivotal business deals
- Providing small businesses with mobility to grow their businesses
- Enabling journeys to connect with loved ones
- Positively contributing to livelihoods
Our Vision
Our vision is to be a trusted mobility solutions leader that is leading in our chosen markets. To achieve this vision, we focus on our six areas of differentiation:
Customer value proposition
Customer value proposition
Innovation
Innovation
Employee proposition
Employee proposition
Operational excellence
Operational excellence
Strategic partnerships
Strategic partnerships
Sustainability
Sustainability
Our key strategy focus areas
The COVID-19 crisis reinforced the importance of our purpose: to connect humanity. It also accelerated the development of several key initiatives, aimed at enhancing our competitiveness and resilience.
As our business continues to recover, we have four key strategic focus areas to deliver sustainable shareholder returns:
- Protect and grow market share
- Explore inorganic growth
- Digitise business processes
- Optimise the balance sheet and generate cash
ESG Journey
We promote best in-class sustainability practices to reduce our environmental footprint, contribute to Africa’s socio-economic development and
enhance our governance practices.
The Avis Budget Group itself was born in Detroit in 1946, the brainchild of Warren E Avis who noted the brisk development in
commercial aviation after World War II and figured that people would need to get from airports to other destinations.
OUR HISTORY
Decades of innovation, expansion and dedication put Zeda firmly on the map in Southern Africa as the preferred car rental company, a major
tourism player, and a leading fleet management operator.
Our roots trace back to 1967 when Zeda Rental Cars and Tours was established in Bloemfontein with a “rental fleet” of three vehicles and a R20
000 loan.
Avis has played a pioneering role in the development of Southern African car rental market. Prior to 1980, in anticipation of the end of Apartheid
and the potential for regional travel, Avis expanded into neighboring countries.
Today, its footprint covers South Africa and 10 other African countries.
Key Milestones
1967 - Zeda Car Rental and Tours (Pty) Ltd is established in Bloemfontein to serve the needs of business travellers and hunters.
1968 - Zeda Car Rental and Tours (Pty) Ltd adopts the Avis brand.
1972 - The car rental service expands to Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
1980 - The business diversifies into full maintenance, leasing and expands outside of South Africa.
Mid 1980s - Becomes the largest Avis licensee outside of the United State and registers as Zeda Holdings (Pty) Ltd.
1997 - Avis Southern Africa lists on the Johannesburg, Namibian and Botswana stock exchanges.
1998 - Avis Luxury Cars launches.
2001 - Avis Chauffeur Drive launches.
2005 - Barloworld Limited acquires full ownership of Avis Southern Africa and delists the company.
2009 - Avis becomes the first car rental company to become carbon neutral.
2020 - The rental business segment and leasing segment are integrated. Heavy commercial vehicles are introduced into the leasing
segment.
2022 - Zeda Limited is unbundled from Barloworld and prepares for listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.