ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH ON YOUR CV

This is also true of many of the people that I meet, in the SMME arena, on a daily basis. Instead of just admitting that they are not sure about something and then doing the research, they look their client in the eyes and lie through their teeth. Then when it comes time to deliver the goods/services, there are a host of 'explanations' of why they didn't/couldn't/wouldn't do it.

What they don't seem to realize either is the fact that they are not only discrediting themselves, and would therefore be unlikely to ever get work from that particular client again, but they are also making it tougher on the rest of the people in the SMME market.

Months later when the bottom falls out of their little world and their business collapses, they lament again about how 'tough' it is out there. Once again there are a host of reasons of why they didn't make it and the blame goes out to everyone else from the President, to the government and obviously now would be a really good time to take a shower and blame it on Zuma as well. The only person that they do not look at and do not blame of course, is themselves. Yet, in my opinion, they are totally responsible for their own downfall! The bottom line is that they did not deliver.

Telling your client that you are not sure about something, but that you will reseach it, or find someone else that can help them with that particular problem, will not deminish you in their eyes, in fact what you have now done is add value to the service/widget whatever, that you have given to your client. You will find that the client will respect you for your honesty and more work will be referred to you by way of thanks.

Keep it honest folks, honesty will get you much further in the long run.

Always tell the truth on your CV

John Mullins

25 April 2007 at 11h00

It's quite fascinating to watch the performance of sporting stars throughout the season, seeing whether these people can deliver on the often well-publicised promises they make at the start of a season. Coaches are pretty-much the best at these "oh-I-just-put-my-foot- in-my-mouth" statements. I remember listening one year to a famous rugby coach at the start of the Super 14 competition, urging all the followers of the team to buy into a new campaign titled something like "We'll do whatever it takes". This was in reference to a promise that they would definitely be in the final of the competition, no matter what. A pretty bold promise, we all thought. However, looking at the team on paper we were encouraged by the abundance of talent that was available. Three months later we were all lamenting the disastrous performance of the team that ended up at the bottom of the log.

It happens quite often in the boxing world as well. Often we see fighters mouthing off before a fight how they are going to dismantle their opposition, only to find that, within the first 30 seconds of the first round, they are lying unconscious in the ring with a smartly dressed official holding smelling salts to their nose.

It's a familiar sight in sport, but it happens in business and in pretty average jobs too. For most people it starts with a well-scripted CV. You have the choice to jazz it up, or to leave it pretty factual and somewhat boring. The trick is to make sure there is a balance, though. More and more we find people being caught out for "falsely" portraying their experience and qualifications in their CV.

This is really not worth it - why set yourself up for failure like that? Recently there have been public investigations of people who have made slightly less-than-true submissions on their CVs. For the record, there is a difference between a doctorate and a master's degree. The point is that your CV becomes your first promise of what you can deliver, a bit like the rugby team that looked good on paper.

This is where you, too, get to look good on paper. It's not that you should be embarrassed about a lack of experience, or feel shy that you are not overly qualified, but we certainly don't want you to start fabricating information just to look good. Rather trust what you can do. I think the rugby coach would have gained more respect from people if he had said he believed his team would finish around the mid-table mark.

Rather be honest than leave yourself exposed to major repercussions if you are caught out. The other obvious consideration is that, in sport, a team only has to endure some negative criticism for falsely portraying their performance credentials, whereas you could be in trouble for lying on your CV. It extends to the interview as well, where we often see even more dramatic evidence of people claiming to be able to conquer the world. I am amazed when I sit with managers who ask candidates whether they are "up to the job". I am even more amazed when they casually accept the standard, "Oh yes, sir, I most certainly won't let you down" response. It's obvious they will say almost anything to get the job, leaving reality slightly behind the truth in most cases.

It then becomes a nightmare of performance problems and trust breakdown as the employer expects more, while the employee delivers less. The worst thing to do in this scenario is to blame everything else except yourself. Now is the time to learn from your mistakes. Even better, rather portray yourself accurately. Aim high but don't get beyond yourself. Be sure you can deliver when you promise to do so. Remember, you are contracting your performance levels with your employer, and they will expect you to reach the levels you advertised. So instead of over-promising and then getting into the "blame game" when things go bad, rather be authentic and learn to trust yourself and be resourceful.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 15

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 15

Craig Harrison says that the reason that Networking may not be working for you is because of the basic 9 mistakes that Networker’s make. I will be going through these over the next few weeks and let’s see if this is what is holding you back.

The second mistake he says is “Poor networkers don’t emphasize the benefits, but the features of what they do. Too many job seekers focus on the features of their work instead of the end results. Employers buy benefits, solutions and outcomes. Speak their language by focusing on what you can do for them, not how you do it. Example: project managers help companies save time and money (two benefits/outcomes) through expertly managing projects and people (features).”

Wow! This is powerful stuff! I attended a networking meeting at the Palazzo Hotel in Fourways last night and thinking back now to all the folk who delivered their ‘speeches’ on who they are and what they do, I can honestly say that about 70% of them are making this mistake. In fact a couple of them are so bad with their ‘speeches’ that I have no idea what it is that they do. Very confusing to say the least.

Remember people cannot help you or refer you if they have no idea what you do. Similarly you have to focus on what makes you different and stand out in the crowd. Taking the above example of Project Managers – there are hundreds if not thousands of these people out there – by saying that you help companies save time and money you are already being different to the rest who will waffle on about what they do to manage the project.

So think carefully about what you say when you are trying to sell yourself and/or your product. You have very little time to make your point and/or make an impression.

To get to know a bit more about Craig Harrison, please visit his website on www.craigspeaks.com.

ADULT LITERACY GRADUATES HAPPY, PROUD

Well done Orley Foods! Perhaps this gesture will be a guiding light for other institutions around the country.

Education and life skills training is something that is vital to the growth of the country. Your HR team is only as strong as it's weakest link, so if you provide your staff with adequate training in literacy and numeracy competencies, not only are you empowering them, but your are strengthening your own assets.

Adult literacy graduates happy, proud

15 May 2007 at 11h00

Adult education hit the sweet spot at Cape Town-based food ingredient supplier Orley Foods when 26 participants in the class of 2007 graduated with literacy and numeracy competencies, as part of the company's adult education programme. Speaking at the graduation ceremony at the Cape Town plant, joint managing director Andrew Janik said: "You've done something on your own. We can supply tools and encouragement, but you've done it on your own."

Janik recognised HR manager Sylvia Hammond and her team for their commitment to creating the appropriate learning culture. According to Hammond, who has held senior HR positions in a number of manufacturing businesses, more than half of the Orley learners have been promoted and one learner was promoted twice within three months.

The programme is funded by Orley, but benefits from Food and Beverage Seta (Sector Education and Training Authority) grants which paid for the initial learner assessments and subsidised each learner. Natasha Louw, Orley's former HR officer returned to the company for the graduation ceremony. She praised management for facilitating the programme by making learning spaces available, having training on Saturdays and providing transport. Orley subsidised half the time spent on the programme with paid company time.

Reuben Daniels, a facilitator from company E-Degree who supplied the training expertise, said management assisted by providing time between shifts for the internal marketing of the programme. "Unless people are literate and numerate, we won't develop our human resource to its potential," said Hammond. "We continually see evidence of the benefits of the programme in the sense of pride and self-worth participants show."

ABSENTEEISM COSTS ECONOMY R12BN - STUDY

Many small business are actually being put out of business by this. Employees, mostly because of legislation, see themselves as above the law and therefore do as they please. This puts employers in the SMME market under greater pressure and causes margins to 'disappear' as employees struggle with juggling all the duties that need to be attended to whilst at the same time trying to deal with errant employees. Costs for Labour Attorneys, labour consultants and time spent performing Disciplinary hearings for staff, who are so out of line that they should be summarily dismissed without a second thought, have become yet another expense for the SMME, and all of this whilst trying to grow the economy for the country.

It's about time that the Government, the Department of Labour and the CCMA started seeing the SMME market for what it is - their survival and in so doing make things a little easier than what they currently are.

In my opinion, legislation and the infernal Red Tape that we all have to go through (and get beaten up in the form of fines and penalties etc, if we don't comply) all adds to the huge number of Businesses that go broke in the first two years and certainly contribute to the number of Businesses that go broke in the next three.

Employees cannot see and in most cases don't give a damn about what they do to their employers. For them, it makes no difference until they are left without a job and no-where to go - then suddenly it becomes the employers fault that everything went belly up - at no point do they take any of the responsibility and/or accountability for their part in the equation.

Perhaps it is time for people to start standing up and being counted for their part!

And for the most part, to those of us in the SMME market, stop being 'pushover' bosses, trying to do what's best for staff who have no appreciation for what you are sacrificing for them to have a decend job and decent working conditions - I say - treat them exactly the way the they treat you!

Absenteeism costs economy R12bn - study

Lee-Shay Collison and Yunus Kemp

02 May 2007 at 11h00

Absenteeism from the workplace, including that stemming from unofficial long weekends, is costing the country billions every year. Studies conducted by Corporate Absenteeism Management Solutions (CAM Solutions), an insurance company which takes risk for sick absenteeism, showed that absenteeism costs the economy about R12-billion annually.

CAM Solutions said abnormally high sick absenteeism has a large impact on the profitability of an employer. It said this was not only felt in the direct cost (unproductive earnings for the employee when on sick leave) but also through indirect costs.

Albert Schuitmaker of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said absenteeism from the unofficial five-day long weekend is most likely to affect Cape Town's manufacturing and construction industries. He said it was difficult to say how much the long weekend and rate of absenteeism had cost the economy. He said it would affect the textile and construction industries the most as workers from these sectors did not work on Tuesday and on Monday."A lot of people took scheduled leave and companies positioned a plan for a reduced staff complement, so that is the positive part," he said. He said the long weekend would cause a reduction in productivity and that companies would be saddled with increased employee costs such as "double" pay.

Zolile Feni, CEO of Aza Civils, confirmed that the construction industry did not work on Monday and that this did have a negative impact on productivity and profits. He said the reason the construction industry took the day off on Monday was because many workers had requested a day's leave to visit family in other provinces. But Aziza Kannemeyer of the SA Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) said that taking the day off yesterday would not affect the textile industry. She said textile industry employees who had not worked on Monday had done so by arrangement with employers and had previously worked in the hours according to the ordinary rate of payment. This was so that the industry would not experience decreased production.

CAM Solutions said the typical indirect costs (to employers) of sick absenteeism were normal and overtime pay for replacement workers, reduced production volumes (or service levels), reduced quality (including staff morale and motivation), training costs, and increases in medical aid and life insurance costs. Their research also showed that Tuesday was the most unproductive day of the week as sick leave incidents commencing on a Monday seldom lasted for only one day, on average lasting for between two to three days, thereby including a Tuesday and sometimes a Wednesday. Because a Tuesday is the second highest initial day of illness, the cumulative effect is that a Tuesday is the most unproductive day of the week. CAM Solutions said about 40% to 50% of all sick leave incidents start on a Monday. The next highest day is Tuesday at almost 20%.Only 12 percent of illness incidents start on Friday.

ZUMA - TAXPAYERS FOOT R8M BILL

Growing up as a child, I was always taught that "crime doesn't pay" - clearly it does here in South Africa. The man 'allegedly' rapes a young girl - he is up on charges of fraud and yet the government budgets to pay his bill! With our (the taxpayers) money - What absolute crap!


Zuma: Taxpayers foot R8m bill


March 28 2007 at 10:34AM

The government has already paid about R8 million in taxpayers' money to cover ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma's legal costs, reported the Sowetan newspaper on Wednesday.The money was paid to Zuma's lawyer Michael Hulley and other senior counsel acting in the fraud and corruption case against the former SA deputy president.It's part of the R10.67m set aside in President Thabo Mbeki's budget in October and carried over to this year's budget.The Sowetan reported that an official in the state attorney's office confirmed that about three-quarters of the total budget was paid to Zuma's lawyers last week. - Sapa

The moral of the story is DON'T DO ANY BANKING TRANSACTIONS AT INTERNET CAFE'S!

Russians target SA online bankers


Lee Rondganger

24 January 2007 at 06h00

A Russian cybercriminal syndicate, specialising in the development of software to hack into bank accounts, is selling its software to South Africans.

And the banking industry is losing millions.

Recently, well-organised local hacking syndicates have been able to gain access to South African accounts by using the software.

Evolving beyond protection software

The Russian syndicate sells its software on the Internet for R10 500, and it is designed to evolve to circumvent anti-virus and anti-spyware software on computers.

While the banking industry refuses to divulge its losses, it is estimated the potential loss could be in excess of R50-million.

Pat Pather, group head of IT at Standard Bank, whose team of experts have been tracking the syndicates over the past year, said the Russian syndicate have also hit the accounts of people worldwide.

"What these guys do is that they develop the software in Russia, use it against European banks, and once it works, they will sell it to other syndicates around the world.

"We are aware of local syndicates using the software and we have identified a few members of the syndicates," Pather said.

Internet cafés are the primary target for the syndicates, he said.

Richard Archdeacon, the UK-based director of IT security firm Symantec, said authorities world-wide were battling Russian cybercriminals, who had become more sophisticated.

"This whole element of cyber-crime has now become industrialised. It is now a major criminal business."

"This whole element of cyber-crime has now become industrialised. It is now a major criminal business, with the different parts you would expect from big business.

"In these syndicates you have research-and-development people; you've got the hackers, who are the engineering department developing the attack codes; and you've got people who handle distribution and logistics."

"What makes it more difficult to fight is that you don't know where these guys are based because you will have a guy sitting in Russia who will launch an attack from a server based in the US," said Archdeacon.

Their man in SA was arrested

In October last year, the Scorpions, Standard Bank and a UK security consultancy firm arrested Abdul Malik Parker (28), the alleged African head of an international online banking syndicate. Parker is out on R20 000 bail.

The arrest was the first time authorities in South Africa were able to nail the alleged ring leader of an online banking syndicate.

Parker, who carried out his alleged hacks using a laptop and a 3G card, has been linked to a syndicate operating in Russia, but authorities are not sure whether it is the same syndicate selling the software.

The Scorpions have since linked Parker to 120 incidents of online fraud affecting the clients of all of South Africa's major banks.

Hundreds of international banking clients, including those in the UK, France, Sweden and Australia, have also allegedly fallen victim to Parker's syndicate.

The Scorpions and Standard Bank have since identified another syndicate operating in South Africa, and investigations are said to be at an advanced stage.

Simply effective techniques

Pather said the modus operandi of the syndicate was simple: a syndicate member buys the Russian-designed software, goes to an Internet café and installs the key loggers -which track a person's key strokes - at the terminals. A user's key strokes are then captured by taking what can be described as a photo of the computer screen. These screen-shot photos will provide the hacker with the Internet banker's username, password and even passwords to the Internet mailbox.

All of South Africa's major banks offer "one-time" passwords", which are usually sent via SMS to a person's cellphone. However, many people also get one-time passwords via email.

Having captured the details, hackers can access the mailbox where the one-time password is sent and log into that person's online bank account. Banks have encouraged customers to switch to SMS-based one-time passwords, leading to fraud levels declining, said Pather.

Gilbert Swartz, chief executive of the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, warned people about conducting banking transactions at Internet cafés because of the risk that syndicates pose.

Absa spokesperson Errol Smith said that, in addition to the Russians, there were various other syndicates operating in South Africa.

"The most important thing we tell our customers is to always ensure that they don't become victims, and the only way to do that is to have adequate security on their PCs, such as patches and anti-spyware and anti-virus software," Smith said.

This story was first published in The Star.

SARS TARGETS HAWKERS IN TRADE LICENCE BLITZ

Fantastic! This of course means that the playing field is levelled and that everyone is going to be held accountable with regards to becoming compliant.

This is indeed a victory for the "little guy"! With more revenue coming in, Trevor Manual will be able and well justified in giving us even bigger tax breaks.

For the first time, this means that '80% of the income generated through taxes is not generated by 20% of the community"! It means that everyone has to put their hands into their pockets and contribute to the pot!

Well done SARS and Trevor Manual!

Sars targets hawkers in trade licence blitz


April 03 2007 at 04:40AM


By Janine du Plessis

Marabastad - an apparent hub of counterfeit goods and unregistered small businesses - was dealt a blow by South African Revenue Service (Sars) officials who wanted to ensure many of the businesses took advantage of its offer of tax amnesty before May 1. More than 200 applications for amnesty were received and 33 warnings were issued in respect of counterfeit goods when several large teams of Sars customs officials, the Department of Trade and Industry, SAPS, Tshwane Metro Police and Home Affairs descended on the small businesses checking for tax registrations and trading licences.

Over 170 businesses at the Ganie Centre, 200 shops in Boom Street, 70 at Belle Ombre Plaza and 60 businesses in the hawkers centre in Bazaar Street were targeted. These specific areas had been identified by a special Sars unit as a concentration of non-compliant businesses.

Businesses were able to register with Sars officials if they could not provide their paperwork on the spot. While some owners fled their stores, abandoning their merchandise, some tried to close up shop fearing they would be fined or arrested. Many, however, admitted they were unregistered traders and spoke with the officials who advised them accordingly. Sars official Kenneth Fitoyi said: "The raids are going to take place over two days because of the volume of shops in the area. He said that during the interdepartmental operation Home Affairs were looking for illegal immigrants, Metro Police were looking at trading licences, health and safety inspectors were checking shops and even lawyers representing certain brands and labels were there to lay complaints against traders dealing in fake items.

The tax amnesty deadline was May 31 and they were urging people to come forward. "Though we have had a number of awareness campaigns, we are taking sterner action against businesses as the deadline approaches."We will be throwing the book at anyone who is non compliant from June 1," Fitoyi said.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 14

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 14

Craig Harrison says that the reason that Networking may not be working for you is because of the basic 9 mistakes that Networker’s make. I will be going through these over the next few weeks and let’s see if this is what is holding you back.

The first mistake he says is “Bad networker’s mumble. A mumble is a speaking stumble, people mumble their name, their occupation and their titles all the time. Your name is irrelevant if we can’t hear it. You’ve been saying your name all your life so you may be bored with it, yet we may only hear it once. State your name clearly, slowly and in a way you can repeat it and remember it. It’s your lifeline to contact. Take care in stating it.”

This is one that I really struggle with! Over the years and with the help of sinus and other strange lurgies that we all seem to fall prey to from time to time, I have lost some of the hearing, particularly in my left ear. This often makes it difficult to hear, particularly if there are other background noises. Even at facilitated Networking events, I find myself continuously asking people to speak up or start their presentation again or have a need to ask them to state their names again. Often I don’t hear their names or what they do on the second or even third attempt – at this point I usually lose interest.

This is turn makes them feel embarrassed and they lose their place or worse yet, they begin to stutter and stumble even more!

Perhaps it is because people are so busy trying to remember what it is that they want to say that they don’t realize just how softly it is that they are speaking. Why don’t you write everything down clearly and in the order in which you would like to deliver the points that you wish to make. That way you can concentrate on projecting your voice to every single person in the room and ensure that everyone knows exactly who you are, what you do and most importantly why they should be doing business with you or having you in their ‘circle of influence’.

To get to know a bit more about Craig Harrison, please visit his website on www.craigspeaks.com.

SARS MAKES MISTAKE

So why does this have to be reported by someone other than SARS. If SARS was aware of the problem, surely the public should have been advised! This is absolutely disgraceful, please check your returns people!

February 01 2007 at 07:24AM
By Barry Bateman

Thousands of provisional taxpayers in the city have been slapped with penalties amounting to millions of rand by mistake. But the South African Revenue Service (Sars) says the problem has been picked up and is being addressed.Auditor Suzan Venter approached the Pretoria News earlier this week after receiving dozens of her clients' tax assessments with additional tax added for alleged "late payment" of provisional taxes. "Our clients who pay provisional tax have had additional tax added despite handing in their forms on time. "Provisional tax is paid in February and August and the forms must be handed in by the end of each of those months," she said.

Venter explained that people who received a business income, were members of a CC, trust or a director, paid provisional tax. "We have about 2 700 clients, of whom 1 800 pay provisional tax. In the past month we have received dozens of assessments with penalties."Now I have to send another form to Sars proving that the client did pay before the deadline. "My concern is that many people with their own businesses who don't have an auditor to look after them, end up paying because they are scared of Sars. Sars is getting a lot of money that does not belong to it," she said. Venter showed a form of one of her clients in which R383 925.08 in additional tax had been added. Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay said they were aware of the problem, which arose at branch office level. "In a small number of instances the stamp date on provisional tax returns, the date on which the taxpayer submitted the return to Sars, and the date on which the return was registered on the Sars system, do not correspond. "This has resulted in additional tax or penalties unduly being charged to taxpayers. These problems, when identified, are corrected by Sars. "Provided that the returns were in fact submitted timeously, these taxpayers will not be expected to pay these charges," he said.

Lackay said Sars's view was that while "these human errors are always regrettable, and we go to great lengths to reduce the probability of such incidences, in this particular instance a relatively small number of returns were affected". "We regret the error and assure taxpayers that these instances will not detract from the organisation's commitment to provide good, efficient service to all taxpayers," he said.Should anyone have any queries they should call the Sars hotline on 0860 12 12 18.
This article was originally published on page 2 of Pretoria News on February 01, 2007

HOME AFFAIRS COMBATS ID THEFT

Well that didn't take too long did it. Now we have to get 'smart cards'. I wonder how long they will last before we have to try something new again - for me, this is just a money making racket!

Home affairs combats ID theft

Mbulelo Baloyi

December 16 2006 at 12:47PM

Home affairs officials say they have tightened up internal security to prevent syndicates taking advantage of thousands of applications for birth certificates at this time of the year. Home affairs spokesperson Jacky Mashapu said many parents apply for late registration of births of their children ahead of the new school year and that they were looking out for possible scams involving corrupt employees who fraudulently slip in illegal birth registrations for foreigners in the avalanche of late, but legal, registrations.

Once people have illegally accessed a birth certificate the way is open for them to access a range of social services, including the "much coveted" South African citizenship.

He said any person applying for late registration of birth had to undergo a rigorous and thorough process to prove his or her bona fides as a South African citizen.

Birth certificate are sought-after documents as it opened many avenues "This includes that person submitting an affidavit from the school where he or she first attended school and a supporting affidavit from those who know her or him. "He said the birth certificate was the sought-after document as it opened many avenues, such as applying for an Identity Document, passport, child-support grant, bank accounts and other social services. Mashapu said the process for applying for a late registration birth was very thorough when compared to that of applying for an ID or passport. Recently Home Affairs Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba revealed that more than 160 department officials had been dismissed after being found guilty of corruption. Gigaba also said there were more than 600 cases being investigated by the department's counter-corruption unit. In addition, 200 employees were currently facing disciplinary action for misconduct ranging from the fraudulent issuing of IDs and birth certificates to the illegal issuing of work permits.

Earlier this year it had been reported that criminals were fleecing the South African economy of billions of rands through theft of identity. "Thefts through the use of the bar-coded identity document are causing many problems and something has to be done quickly," said Pat Cunningham of South African Fraud Prevention Services. Cunningham said the organisation had a list of 45 000 names on its database of people who had committed fraud by using identity documents that did not belong to them. The database, which is shared among several industry players, helped to prevent fraud of a possible R400 million last year. "All major banks, furniture and supermarket retailers, micro lenders and motor finance corporations linked to our organisation reported a huge increase in fraud." Cunningham said fraud through improper use of identity documents went up by 29% last year to an estimated R40-billion. Delegates at a conference hosted by PriceWaterhouse-Coopers in Sandton were told that white-collar crime was costing the economy an estimated R80 billion, with more than 40 000 cases a year reported. Green ID books with a barcode are already commonly used.

The book contains a photograph and fingerprint of the holder, but the photograph can easily be replaced. The government plans to replace the green book with a barcode on a credit card-style ID with personal details stored on a microchip. Although the government originally considered issuing the smartcards for free and charging for subsequent replacements, it will charge about R120 a person during the R1,5-billion roll-out expected to occur over five years. The smartcard will also replace the old reference books and blue pass books which, although accepted as ID by some financial institutions, do not allow the bearer to vote.

DA CALLS FOR DRIVER'S LICENCE AUDIT

Beware of identity fraud people. This is the start of something again! Before long we will be fed the usual BS about how the "new system" is flawed and they will dream up yet another way for us to spend our hard earned money or lose our licences again! What a crock of S*&T!

DA calls for driver's licence audit

March 26 2007 at 03:36PM

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a full performance audit of the credit card-type driver's licence system, from its inception to its implementation. The audit should focus particularly on the process leading to the involvement of jailed businessman Schabir Shaik and his company, Prodiba, DA spokesperson Stuart Farrow said in a statement on Monday.

The credit card-type licence system had been surrounded by controversy since its inception, with the latest scandal being the bribes allegedly paid to former transport minister Mac Maharaj and his wife Zarina by Shaik's companies to have the licence tender awarded to Prodiba. "While it is important to get to the bottom of the bribery allegations, it is even more important to ensure that South Africa has a secure and rigid licensing system in place to prevent improperly-trained drivers from exacerbating the carnage on our roads," Farrow said.

'It is even more important to ensure that South Africa has a secure and rigid licensing system 'The performance audit should, among other things, provide a full account of all funds spent on implementing the new licence system and production of licences, and investigate whether all tender and accounting procedures were adhered to. It should also establish the comparative advantages and drawbacks of the credit card-type licence system over the previous ID-book driver's licence system, and whether the time spent and the expense incurred by millions of South Africans in obtaining and renewing the licences were justified. "With respect to the former transport minister, should there be confirmation that the credit card-type licence system was indeed beyond reproach, it would certainly strengthen any evidence that Mr Maharaj could offer to refute the allegations against him," Farrow said. - Sapa

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION LEADS TO BRAIN DRAIN

Whilst I absolutely agree with everything that Buthelezi says in this article, I also know that in many instances the 'spirit' of affirmative action has not been upheld by both black and white business. Furthermore it is here to stay and instead of seeing it as a problem, rather look at the opportunities it opens up for all of us.

I understand that it is great opportunity for all the 'doomsday' people to climb onto their respective soap boxes, and weep and wail and knash their teeth in deep sorrow, but the truth of the matter is that the whole concept opens up huge opportunities both in the black and white market and both with big corporates and the SMME market.

So don't delay, don't tarry awhile with the 'doomsdayers', get on the train right now, it can and will take to places of great interest and huge wealth!

'Affirmative action leads to brain drain'

February 01 2007 at 01:28PM

The government's reckless implementation of the affirmative action policy was forcing many whites to leave the country, creating a skills shortage crisis, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said on Thursday. Writing in his weekly letter, Buthelezi said white people need to be offered incentives in order for them to stay in the country. "We need to grant white South Africans a meaningful stake in the existing order... not only does this make economic sense, it is also in line with our vision of a non-racial South Africa of the struggle days," he said. The reason a majority of white people supported the then National Party's referendum calling for an end to apartheid rule was because they believed they would have a place in the new South Africa, said Buthelezi.

"If the majority of white South Africans had envisaged in the early 1990s the way affirmative action and racial classification would come to dominate the post-apartheid labour market, few would have voted yes in Mr de Klerk's watershed referendum on constitutional reform," he said. The IFP, Buthelezi said, would be proposing a forum to explore ways of keeping whites in the country. "My party proposes to hold a widely representative forum to look at why so many whites have left with their skills and what can be done to keep them and encourage those who have left to come back," he said. Buthelezi also criticised government's Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), saying it has failed to create jobs. "The IFP has consistently pointed out the EPWP can never be an unemployment panacea (for the simple reason that) it is not part of an open labour market and most of the working jobs created last only as long as the infrastructural programme that has prompted them."What South Africa needs to create jobs is an open labour market," he said. - Sapa

CREDIT ACT GIVES CONSUMERS MORE CONTROL

In many instances, this is going to make it harder for the SMME to collect outstanding money from your Debtors. Please remember that from 1st June, you cannot collect interest unless this is stipulated in your contract with your client - not just on your invoice, but on the contract that they have signed with you.

May 15 2007 at 12:38PM

Regulations coming into effect next month will protect consumers' rights in regard to their credit records, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) said on Tuesday. Credit bureaux, which compile consumer credit histories, will have to comply with new regulations in the National Credit Act, the NCR said in a press release. The bureaux will have to remove information about certain small debts and paid-up judgments by June 1. Debts of less than R500 or dormant accounts will not be recorded on consumer credit histories. However the dormancy exclusion applies only to accounts that had been unused for two years on September 1, 2006, that usually require monthly payments, and which do not have credit facilities.

Civil court judgments for sums between R500 and R50 000, depending on a variety of conditions, will also be removed from credit records. Registered credit bureaux will submit audit reports to the NCR in August this year and March next year, to ensure they have complied with the new regulations. Under the National Credit Act, consumers have the right to be informed if a credit provider is going to report adverse information about them to a credit bureau. Information about a consumer's race, political affiliation, medical status and history, religion and sexual orientation may not be released by credit bureaux. Consumers will have the right to inspect and challenge any bureau record concerning their credit history by contacting their credit bureau, the credit information ombud, or the NCR. - Sapa

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 13

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 13

Dr Renate Volpe, in her “Networking Tips” cards says “Ask for the attendance list of events up front so that you can identify the people you would like to meet.”

Some of the networking events will be facilitated or even semi-facilitated and when this is the case, it is easy to get hold of the list of people who will be attending.

For example, if you attend any of the Women In Finance Hot Tables Dinners (www.womeninfinance.co.za) the list of hosts is generally e-mailed prior to the function taking place. This ensures that, as a participant, you will be able to decide beforehand which ‘hosts’ you would like to meet and/or engage in.

In Inner Circle meetings however, you will never know who is going to attend up front. In many instances, people who have committed to coming to the meeting either don’t pitch up and/or phone at the last minute to say that they will not be attending. In this instance, although you are present at the meeting, a list of attendees, with their e-mail addresses is mailed to all the participants during the course of the following day. This means that you can contact these individuals, if for some reason you were unable to engage with them during the course of the meeting.

The BizNetwork meetings sadly, are very informal – there is no facilitation what-so-ever and it is up to the individual to engage with whomever they wish. This in my opinion, is just as bad, if not worse than cold calling as you have no idea who the person is or in what field they are.

BNI meetings, although very facilitated, usually engage with the same people on a weekly basis.

As an entrepreneur, it is essential that you actually find the medium that you are comfortable in and which allows you to engage with others, in the most comfortable fashion.

For me these are meetings like Women In Finance and Inner Circle – these are meetings that are semi-facilitated and allow me the freedom to interact with people who I have met and/or been introduced to, at the meeting. BNI meetings for me, are too facilitated and too structured and meetings like BizNetwork are too informal.

Once you have decided on which meeting is best for you, make sure you are armed with enough business cards; there is nothing worse than running out of them, when trying to network.

Should you wish to know more about Dr Renate Volpe and her cards please visit her website on www.HIRS.co.za.

INTERNET BANKERS WARNED OF SCAM

Beware of Scams. Never give your confidential information out on the internet - ever!

Internet bankers warned of scam

Gill Gifford

February 20 2007 at 07:09AM

A new email scam warning Internet bankers against online fraud is now in circulation, luring recipients to disclose their account information and passwords. The scam makes use of FNB's logo and purports to be a warning from the bank, informing clients of attempts by criminals to lure them to links to a fake website. "Some customers have been receiving an email, claiming to be from FNB, advising them to follow a link to what appears to be an FNB website, where they are prompted to enter their personal online banking details," reads the e-mail. It adds that FNB has updated its security and server, and now needs clients to submit their account details and password via a link. People who failed to do this would have their accounts terminated within 24 hours.

Xolisa Vapi, spokesperson for FNB, confirmed that the email was a scam and the latest version of "phishing". "Phishing is a form of fraud where criminals attempt to access your confidential information. This is done by an email request for information, by luring you to a fake website or by infecting your personal computer with criminal software that records and sends sensitive information to these cyber criminals," Vapi explained. He pointed out that FNB would never ask for sensitive information via email.Vapi said people who suspected that their confidential information had been compromised should contact the FNB call centre immediately at 0860 11 22 44 for assistance.

TOXIC BOSS

So what kind of boss are you?

Toxic boss?

Speak to your friends – most people have had at least one boss who could have been the sole subject of a psychiatric conference.

A quick whip-round among associates revealed a story of a boss who put chocolates in the pigeonholes of his two favourite employees every Thursday – in full view of the rest of the staff. Another story tells of a boss who was only seen three times in the entire time the person concerned worked at that particular company. Then there was another one who liked to tickle his nose with a feather constantly and another who was seen doing his shopping in full drag.

And stories abound of unfair dismissals, bullying, shouting, favouritism, inconsistencies and just plain lack of professionalism.

But then fortunately there are also the stories about good and kind bosses, who encourage their employees, are fair and consistent and do not take out their personal problems on those who work for them.

Being a boss is not easy. Having to deal with finances, responsibility, a potentially difficult work force, having to be a mediator, dealing with other people's personal problems, retrenchments – the list is endless. And the stress can be enormous.

So are you a boss? What are the signs of your being a problem boss? The following signs, according to Ilse Pauw, Cape Town psychologist, could point to there being problems in your domain:

Large staff turnover.

If people come and go without having good reasons, such as a spouse being transferred, or wanting to change professions, there is a problem. If your staff start resigning despite not having other jobs, there is something serious underfoot.

Negative assessments.

Most companies have annual assessments of their staff. If you get thrashed the minute the assessments are anonymous, but to your face people seem to be civil, there is a severe problem with your management style or general attitude.

Passive aggression.

This is usually shown in a lack of co-operation, such as a refusal to take part in staff discussions, non-attendance of staff functions, minimum compliance with orders, obstructionist behaviour and a lack of team playing.

Factions on the staff.

In any large group of employees, it is inevitable that certain social groups will form. This is entirely normal. Some of your employees may even become friends with one another. But if there are bitter, opposing factions, it usually indicates a lack of trust in the judgment and fairness of decisions that come from the top. People are jockeying for position, because they feel they cannot trust their boss to treat them fairly. Where a boss is ineffectual or unfair and tyrannical, much of the energy, which should go into upping production, goes into infighting and staff politics.

Work-to-rule.

If one person on the staff does the work-to-rule thing (This is not in my job description), that person is nursing some private grievance. If the majority of the staff does so, there is a larger problem – and it could be you and your management style. Not being willing to go the extra mile is usually only done when people feel that the company they work for is abusing them in some way – either underpaying them, overworking them, or subjecting them to unfair or untenable working conditions.

Low productivity.

Frustrated and unmotivated employees are unproductive employees. If people are not happy in their jobs, they also feel resentment towards the company that employs them and they will not make an effort to up their production. Low productivity is a sure sign of autocratic and ineffectual management – or under-trained staff.

Frequent complaints.

Happy employees do not complain about minor things constantly. Once vicious fights start breaking out about minor things such as the type of coffee bought for the coffee club or the type of toilet paper that is used in the staff toilets, there is usually a problem that is much larger. And which employees are hesitant to mention. And it could be you. If official complaints get lodged regularly, or members of staff constantly demand to see those above you, you need to take a good look at yourself.

High amount of sick leave.

If there are constantly people taking a day off here and a day there and you are pretty certain there is nothing wrong with them, they either have personal problems of which you know nothing, or there is a problem or a person at work, which they are trying to avoid, because they find it upsetting. On every staff, there is usually one person who abuses their sick leave, but when more and more people start doing it, there is usually a bigger problem.

Sudden silence when you enter a room.

It could just be a lull in the conversation, but it could also be that you were the topic under discussion. And people don't suddenly keep quiet if they've been saying nice things.

Unpleasant atmosphere at work.

It could be that you have one or two bad apples among your staff, that are poisoning the work force. Or it could just be that people are unhappy with your decisions, with your appointments or with your management style. Work is not a social venue, but it is so much nicer when there is a pleasant atmosphere, rather than a polarised back-biting situation.

Little co-operation or teamwork.

If getting people to do things or make changes feels like dragging a dead horse through soft sand, there is a problem. Have you spoken to the people who actually do the job to find out if they have suggestions? Did you take them seriously? Most people do not take kindly to top-down decisions. If people feel they have not been consulted, they are unlikely to be enthusiastic about a new decision or project.

Nervous employees.

If people are jumpy, it is usually because they feel their boss is unpredictable and not to be trusted. They probably get shouted at – often for no justifiable reason and they don't trust whoever is in charge. If it's you, the time for some soul-searching and possibly a management course or two. The only way to manage people effectively in the long run is to get their willing co-operation. That doesn't mean that you're not in charge. On the contrary. But the way in which you do things is so very important.

Misinterpretation of instructions.

If one of your employees keeps on getting things wrong, there may be problem with that one person. But if everyone constantly misinterprets what you say, it could be that you don't give good, clear instructions. Try writing them down – in this way there can be no confusion. Often managers have an idea in their heads, but are unable to convey it clearly to employees.

Disrespectful behaviour.

If a large number of your employees are 'off' to you, or simply disrespectful, you need to find out why. Remember that respect is something that is earned, not something that is part and parcel of any position.

(Susan Erasmus, Health24)

simplify, Simplify, SIMPLIFY ..1 ..2 ..3

Trevor writes:

From this post - MAD 7. It Only Takes 'HALF-A-DOZEN' Things! (extract below) - I am reminded that it is all to easy to fall into the trap of adding unnecessary complexity to ideas, projects, strategies, et al, that should be as simple as ...1 ..2 ..3

Too many people look to make the simple things in life too complex to understand.

Yes, most often it takes only a few things... 1, 2, or 3 things... just a 'half-a-dozen' things to ensure success in most projects.

I am resolving to simplify every idea, project, strategy I have into a 'simple as ..1 ..2 ..3' graphic presentation.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

READ, READ AND READ SOME MORE

I cannot imagine a day going by without me having my nose in a book somewhere along the line. Whether it is 'poised on the pot', sitting in the lounge waiting for something that I want to watch to come on TV, waiting for someone to arrive for a meeting or just the sheer pleasure of a quick read just before dozing off - books have been my friends from early childhood.

Growing up on the farm as an only child (until I was 5 1/2) and then the birth of my brother (who was such a dissappointment - well he couldn't walk and talk and just lay there and squealed and who spent most of the day squirting from either one end or the other), means I lived mostly inside my own imagination - which was furiously fueled by whatever story I was reading at the time.

Upon arriving at boarding school at the grand old age of 5 1/2, and never having had the pleasure of children in a playgroung, I retreated further into my own imagination and into the books that had, up until then been the only friends I had. Unable to interact with other children, because I didn't know how, I spent more and more time with my books, until at the very old age of 8, I had depleted all the reading material in the school library! Most nights would find me under the covers with a torch and my book of the moment.

The result of course is that today, I still have my love affair with books of all kinds and all subjects. I have progressed from reading one book at a time to reading several, and doing a quick count here this morning, I discover that I am currently reading 8 books.

The reason for spending all of this time telling you about my reading habits, is purely this - reading books, magazines, newpapers all keep you up to date with what is happening around you. It keeps you informed. It helps you to grow as a person. It helps you to expand your knowledge through the experiance and wisdom of others.

There is nothing more exciting than starting a new book - the journey starts, and in some personal instances there is nothing sadder than coming to the end of a captivating book!

So, in closing - I urge you all, read, read and then read some more - some of your greatest experiances will come through a book that you have read.

Read, read and read some more!

13 March 2007 10:59

Bookworm: Judy Nwokedi

Her multiple skills make it rather difficult to describe her in just one word. And in trying to capture the essence of who she really is, one would need a dozen superlatives. Her name is Judy Nwokedi, a sportsperson, psychologist, health activist, media specialist, filmmaker ... the list goes on and on. Nwokedi was born in Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape. She was one of the children who was always eager to learn and seek knowledge. So at all times she was buried in books. Small wonder then that at the age of 16 she was already a student at the University of Cape Town, where she graduated “with a class medal in Sotho”.

In 1982, owing to the political situation in the country, she was forced to go into exile and the first country she set foot in was Australia. As an avid softball player she immediately impressed people with her skills and later joined the sports ministry to help “professionalise” the Australian amateur sport. Her training in psychology, which she studied up to master’s level, saw her landing the important job of being a civilian psychologist in the Australian Correctional Services. The idea was to draw on her South African experience in fundamentally transforming the prison system. More importantly, she served in the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, managed a drugs programme and helped develop alternate models of dealing with juvenile detention.

“They thought I could bring in a different perspective that would be important for their commission,” said Nwokedi. She returned to South Africa in 1993, when she was headhunted to “develop advocacy as a democratic tool in South Africa”. She was also instrumental in forming the National Progressive Primary Health Care Network through which she trained “leading political stakeholders” for six months on healthcare reform. Through this initiative, she also secured funding for the media to focus more on development issues. Since then her interest in the media has grown, and in 1997 she set up a consultancy firm and its focus continues to be advocacy.

Through this she worked closely with regional representatives in countries such as Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe around issues of media deregulation. LoveLife, which is hailed as one of the most successful initiatives to support and reach out to young South Africans on HIV/Aids issues, was her consultancy’s “flagship programme”. Nwokedi is also well respected in the broadcasting community, having worked at the SABC’s Public Broadcasting Service that comprised 15 radio stations and two television stations. Now Nwokedi is the national manager of Motorola South Africa and the only black female board member.

Which school did you go to? Athlone High in the Cape Flats.

Who was your favourite teacher and why? Mr Blake, my Latin teacher. He introduced me to poetry and communism. He awakened within me the desire for literature, language and classics.

What were your favourite subjects and why? Science, Latin and biology, simply because I was good at them. I always got 90% or more.

What do you miss most about your school days? All the time we had, the gay abandon of youth. It was such a period of sheer indulgence.

What is your advice to the learners out there? I would say to them: 10% talent and 90% perspiration. You’ve got to work hard, nothing comes for nothing and don’t be fooled by students who say “I didn’t”. Read, read and read -- there is no substitute for hard work

TIPS FROM EMIL TRAUTMAN

Good day bloggers. I first met Emil and his wife several months ago. Emil does Financial Planning, with a difference and I have found his 'tip' newsletter to be both interesting and useful - so being a sharing girl, here it is.

Emil on Monday

Welcome to Emil on Monday, a short Money Tips Newsletter.

Advice Notes:

The word interest (on debt) comes from the word usury and when translated from Hebrew means: “to strike with a sting as a serpent”. According to the Reserve Bank, 70% of household income is spent on debt repayment. This means that statistically you are drowning in your debt at this moment and you have been struck by “the debt serpent.”

How did you get here:
You do not budget or have a specific financial plan.
You make careless debt.

Luckily, with careful planning you could be debt free within a short period of time. Contact me for more detail… Remember to send your contact number.

Click here to get a free debt % calculator(Excel)

Money tip nr 25:

Be prepared to pay for good advice, as you would for any expertise. But make sure you deal with an adequately qualified adviser – preferably one who is accredited by the Financial Planning Institute. Good advice is worth its weight in gold. You would not go to a barber to have your teeth checked, so why go to someone for financial advice if that person is not properly qualified?

Are you in need of financial planning? I offer fee based financial planning and you do not need to purchase a product.
Click here to inquire…

Investment tip nr 6:

Investing in a commercial property syndication normally give you a higher than average monthly income and good capital growth.

In is also known as “NO HASSLE” property compared to a rental property. The some reasons are shown in this example:


Syndication
Rental
Income per R100 000 per annum
9% = R9000
Depending on area 4 to 6% = R6000
Maintenance
None - already accounted for in net income
To be deducted from income
Rent Collection Risk
None
High

To find out more about commercial property syndication and the benefits to you click here…

Have a fantastic week
Emil Trautman
083 562 4858

Good morning bloggers . . . . well this certanly highlights a whole bunch of stuff!

1. Always have full disclosure. Never take on responsiblities that may cause conflict of interest. If there is the slightest possibility of this - disclose everything that you do, you represent and/or any boards etc that you may be on.

2. If you are suddenly getting huge amounts of money as "a salary" - query it. Companies and/or people are not in the habit of just giving money away. If it wasn't agreed up front as a salary, chances are that it is some sort of bribe and it will come back and bite you in the bum!

3. Beware of taking people in as your BEE partner just because they are well known and have the right colour skin and gender. If they cannot add value to your Company you are in contravention of the spirit of BEE. Do the research, find out exactly how many boards they sit on and in what capacity. Someone who is sitting on 68 boards in one form or another is not going to be able to add any sort of value to your company and will if anything bring your name into disrepute.

4. A loan is a loan is a loan - it cannot be called anything else and as a loan it has to be paid back. Beware of people offering loans that do not have to be paid back and do not have any interest requirements attached to them. Chances are they are bribes!

5. Don't plead ingnorance if you haven't adhered to the above four points and you get bust - it will make you look far more stupid than you actually are.

Dear Danisa…

Jocelyn Newmarch and Maya Fisher-French

22 March 2007 11:59

Danisa Baloyi
We are concerned that you, the mother of empowerment, should be embroiled in such an ugly scandal. Unfortunately, we can’t say that we’re surprised that you and Absa have decided to terminate your services as a director. For the last few weeks, this parting has seemed inevitable. The surprise, if any, is the news that your services have been terminated. Aren’t these things normally phrased as “leaving to pursue other opportunities”?

Gill Marcus, Absa’s new chair, will be glad that both Absa Group and Absa Bank have already set the ball rolling. We understand that you’re contemplating legal action against Absa, so we haven’t heard the last of this case. The bank hasn’t commented further on this announcement. According to the Bank Act, in deciding whether someone is fit to stand as a director of a bank, the Registar will consider whether the candidate has taken part in business practices which were deceitful, prejudicial or otherwise improper (whether unlawful or not) or which brought discredit on that person’s methods of conducting business or had taken part in or been associated with any such other business practices as to cast doubt on his or her competence and soundness of judgment.

We couldn’t help noticing an interview you gave to Moneyweb. “As a director and/or a trustee, you are as good as the information that is given to you,” you said. The problem, dear Danisa, is that you were both director and trustee. That’s a clear conflict of interest in anybody’s language. The Financial Services Board has made it clear that it is not possible for a trustee in your position “to exercise their discretion in the manner in which will be to the best interests and general welfare of the beneficiaries”. If a trustee is not pulling the line, who is watching?

Once the full report is available, you and the other trustees could still face prosecution in your personal capacities. Admittedly, it’s not all your fault. Currently, umbrella trust funds, which by their very nature are for widows and orphans and which manage billions of rands, have virtually no supervision and are not required to submit audited reports. If audited reports aren’t submitted, it’s very difficult to remove the trustees. SABMiller may have wanted to, but they needed to have a case they could prove against the trustees.

That certainly doesn’t excuse what happened. It looks like Fidentia cosied up to the Living Hands trustees by paying high salaries and offering substantial shareholdings. Your own company, the South African Women Investment Holdings, was Fidentia’s BEE partner and held a 10% stake. As soon as Fidentia had control of the Living Hands Umbrella trust they moved all the assets from Old Mutual to Fidentia. In fact, the existing fund trustees had the option to ensure that the new administration company could meet the criteria. If they were not happy, the trustees had the right to move the trust administration to an appropriate service provider. We’ve been told this by Giselle Gould from Fairheads Umbrella Trust Company. But we suppose that what you were trying to say is that you couldn’t possibly have known that hundreds of millions of rands belonging to widows and orphans was being pilfered.

You couldn’t have known because nobody told you. But you could have checked your salary slip and wondered why you were being paid R54000 a month by Fidentia when you only earned R12000 as an Absa director. Surely this discrepancy was enough to set alarm bells ringing?Then there is the matter of the loan. You remember the one -- the loan from the Living Hands Trust for R7,95-million. You said it came from Fidentia Holdings, but it seems to be trust money all the same. We’re concerned that you didn’t realise where the money was coming from when, after all, you were a trustee too. We’re even more concerned that the loan was reflected as an “investment”. Loans should always be reflected as such in the books. You could also have asked yourself what was going on when Fidentia was prepared to grant you this loan without any repayment or interest terms. But we think you might find it difficult to take our advice. We understand. After all, you are a director of 71 organisations, according to the Registrar of Companies.

We think this is far too much work and responsibility for any one person. Especially as these are in addition to your duties as head of the National Skills Authority. We understand that many of these are not major enterprises, but many, including Absa, are and require a large amount of work to justify your pay cheques. What really worries us is that it is not your money which was put at risk. It belongs to some of the poorest people in the country, widows and orphans who depend on it.

We did try to contact you directly, but your spokesperson said you weren’t taking calls.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 12

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 12

Dr Renate Volpe, in her “Networking Tips” cards says “Take a long term view. Networking is an investment in a longer term relationship, don’t be overly opportunistic.”

So many times, when I talk to people about networking and how it has changed my business, I get ‘the look’ – you know that look that says it all. Often ‘the look’ is followed by the words – “I hate networking, it doesn’t work for me”.

Upon delving just a little deeper, I often find out exactly what the problem is. The person concerned has been to exactly one networking meeting and the expectation has been that they will walk away from the meeting having sold their widget/service to every single person in the room!

Let’s think about it logically – every person there has gone to the meeting with that exact intention. Let’s face it people – no-one goes to a networking meeting with the intention of buying anything. So you need to change your mindset – yes again!

I always like to say that networking is to building a business relationship as speed dating is to dating! Ok you can stop laughing now, let me explain.

When you go to a networking meeting and/or event, what you are actually doing is meeting the 20 or 30 people there in a very short space of time. If you went out and did the cold calling thing – how long would it take you to physically meet 20 or 30 people? Well at a networking event, especially if that event is facilitated or even semi facilitated, then you will be meeting 20 or 30 people in a matter of 2 to 3 hours.

You have now been introduced and when you make contact with them it is no longer a cold call. Now when you contact them, you have common ground on which to build – you met them at xyz event and you would like to set up a follow up meeting so that you can explore synergies and business opportunities.

You still have to build the relationship mind. Just because you have met them at one meeting doesn’t now make you bosom buddies!

Even at your subsequent meeting, don’t go in with the expectation that you are going to sell them anything – go in with the expectation that you are building a foundation for a solid relationship.

I usually ask the first question (just because I am a natural networker and because I can) and that question is usually – “How can I help you – tell me a bit more about your business and what it is that you do?”

Listen carefully, making notes (it makes it easier for me to remember) on what the person does and what their needs are. Ask questions about who their target market is, or what their expectations are etc and then think carefully about who, in your data base you can match them up to in terms of synergies.

Follow up – always follow up! I usually send a mail to the person that I met giving them the details of who I want them to get in touch with, and a copy to the person that I am introducing them to, with the details of the person that I met. In this way I am effectively introducing them to one another on an e-mail – again it is not a cold call and does away with the awkwardness of such a call.

Don’t expect anything in return – it will come at some stage, and when it comes, it will be in a flood!

Remember it is a relationship that you are building, build it one step at time and build it solidly.

Should you wish to know more about Dr Renate Volpe and her cards, please visit her website on www.HIRS.co.za.

TAX AMNESTY APPLICATIONS GROW

Back on Track - Yay!


Don't forget to register people - this is a wonderful opportunity, don't miss it!

Tax amnesty applications grow

April 26, 2007

Johannesburg - The South African Revenue Service has added more than 1 000 new applications to the small business tax amnesty process through an extensive registration campaign across the country, the body said on Thursday. Several thousand Sars officials were joined by members of the South African Police Service and officials from the Department of Home Affairs in 30 towns and cities where 4 160 small businesses were visited during the most recent outreach programme. By late afternoon on Thursday, 1 106 new applications for amnesty were received while 2 218 application forms were handed out to businesses, said Sars.

The registration programme will continue until 31 May 2007 - the deadline for the small business tax amnesty period. Sars said in its statement that while the amnesty programme had the primary focus of broadening the tax base, it would continue its enforcement activities in instances of non-compliance with the law.

"Arising from work already done on the amnesty, 39 small business owners appeared in the Durban magistrate's court for failing to submit tax returns. “Three properties of businesses were also attached while 56 summonses were issued for outstanding returns due to Sars. At the same time customs officials confiscated 950 master cases of illicit cigarettes en route to Johannesburg."

In Gauteng, the Western Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga a number of illegal immigrants were detained by Home Affairs officials while counterfeit cigarettes and other illicit products were confiscated. "These efforts - registration and enforcement - must complement the policy and legislative interventions Sars has already put in place to broaden the scope of the amnesty," the revenue service said. - I-Net Bridge

EQUIPMENT SHORTAGE HAS GROWTH OVER A BIG BARREL

Nearly there!

Trevor Nel always says - there are no such things as 'problems' only opportunities and my goodness, does this not just scream of opportunities. Let's see who does what with those opportunities!

Equipment shortage has growth over a big barrel

March 30, 2007

By Samantha Enslin

Durban - South Africa's R420 billion infrastructure plans are severely challenged by difficulties sourcing port, rail and electricity generating equipment. Alec Erwin, the public enterprises minister, said yesterday at the Intermodal Africa conference: "The challenge is our ability to negotiate in a very tight supply market. If it comes to supplying China or South Africa, let's face it, China will win." The R420 billion boost to infrastructure is the biggest the country has ever seen, but South Africa is not the only country that is expanding infrastructure. "How do we secure supply of capital equipment? How do we ensure South Africa is not forgotten in the race to service China? It is very difficult to find locomotives, gantry cranes, turbines and nuclear reactors," Erwin said. The tight supply situation would not affect the pricing of infrastructure upgrades, as this had been factored into the costs. "We put tenders out and construction companies say they do not have the capacity," Erwin said.

Bloomberg reported that the tender for the R6.5 billion expansion of the Cape Town container terminal was extended after only one bid was received. Erwin said the public enterprises department had embarked on a competitive local supplier development programme to ensure that Africa was supplied with capital equipment from South African suppliers.

But Erwin said this programme was in the early phases and would be rolled out only over the next 10 to 20 years. On how parastatals were addressing the supply problems, Erwin said South Africa was still able to attract international suppliers for its capital expenditure programme. Components for equipment could be manufactured cost effectively and locally, the minister said. Investment in infrastructure over the next five years includes R150 billion in power generation, transmission and distribution; R64.5 billion in ports, rail and pipelines; as well as investment in passenger transport and bulk infrastructure. Investment in ports includes the R2 billion Pier One container handling facility at the Durban port, which is scheduled to be operating in May. The port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape is also progressing, although at a slower pace. Khomotso Phihlela, chief executive of the National Ports Authority, said: "The Ngqura container terminal will be operating by the end of 2008. The equipment is already in place."The operator of the terminal was still to be decided, Phihlela said. "At this stage it will be SA Port Operations but it may be a joint venture."

BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN AFRICAN BANKING

Hey there bloggers - this is the post for 4th May


Can you imagine how much easier life would be if we could actually speak to our bankers and they would actually understand our needs! Life would be an absolute breeze! Now let's see if they could take this one step further and actually train their staff on how to deal with clients. Instead of being seen as an irritation that needs to be dealt with, we could actually be seen as the people who pay their salaries.

Sigh! Well I can dream can't I?


Business process management in African banking

By: Jean Moncrieff

Wouldn’t it be great if banking were really as friendly, fast and simple as marketing campaigns make it look? Sadly, in the real world, most of us find interactions with our banks extremely frustrating. Are banks really in touch with our requirements, or are their processes focused on their own agendas and what they think we ought to want? For anybody with some knowledge of the revolution in business process thinking over the past decade or so, it’s clear that the financial services industry is still very functionally oriented. Have you tried applying for a new product recently? I tried to open a new account with a bank last year but gave up after more than a month had gone by with no result. The consultant responsible for dealing with my application fell ill, and although the bank had a team responsible for handling new business, my application and supporting documentation could not be found.

Quicker, more efficient

If this bank had an effective case management solution in place they would have been able to provide a quicker, more efficient service – and been able to optimise their own underlying process for opening a new account. In a Business Process Management Congress held in South Africa last year, industry expert Dr Michael Hammer proposed a formula for measuring a company’s value add to a customer. The two crucial variables are the value time (VT) within which customers expect to get what they want, and the elapsed time (ET) it actually takes.The smaller the gap between VT and ET – ideally it should be zero or even less than zero – the better you are doing. To achieve that, businesses need to focus on the customer’s end goal rather than their own processes. For example, you will probably have noticed that you are asked to supply your ID and proof of address for FICA purposes every single time you apply for a new product at your bank. This shouldn’t be necessary – and it wouldn’t be, if banks linked FICA documentation to a central customer record or case folder. By taking this more customer-centric approach, banks would dramatically improve the customer experience and avoid frustration – for their employees as well as their clients.

Planning stages only

According to Gartner, many banks in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region are in the process of renewing their core banking systems. So far this process is only in the planning stage for most African banks, but these are embracing emerging technologies.This opens doors for banks across Africa to dramatically improve customer service levels and become more compliant. They will need to put in place systems that streamline processes and deal with customers as individuals – in actions, not just in marketing promises. From the moment it receives a new account application, a bank should create a case history for each customer. This may include receiving and processing an application, verification, requesting more information, assessment, making a decision and then closing the application -- a wide range of information to help it know its customer. Normally several different bank employees will work on different aspects of the application process – a dynamic case management solution can alert each employee to complete a task and access only the parts of a case they are working on.

Make jobs easier

This will not only result in a better experience for customers, it will also make the bank employees’ jobs easier. A solution such as Global 360’s Case Manager gives each user a comprehensive, clear view of every case, sets alerts and deadlines for tasks, offers real-time web access to an entire case history and makes information exchange between departments better and faster.All too often in banks across Africa, one sees customers standing outside the banking hall in what seems like a mile-long queue. Banks that are considering upgrading their systems now have a unique opportunity to transform the banking experience for their customers, while at the same time improving their own efficiency.

DOMESTIC UIF DEALINES

Good morning bloggers - and this should have been posted on 3rd May.

Ok people, so I'm a little late for the UIF deadlines - however having said that, the Tax Amnesty ends on 31st May, if you did not do your domestic UIF on time, you still have a reprieve until 31 May to declare your mess in terms of the Amnesty. UIF does fall under this, so get it done. I really don't think that there are going to be any additional chances to do this and believe me when I tell you, if you don't register for Amnesty and you get caught - you will face charges!

Domestic's UIF deadline looms January 4, 2007

Employers have until the end of this week to update details of their domestic workers with the unemployment insurance fund (UIF), UIF spokesman Kgomotso Sebetso says. This is in line with wage increases set out by the Department of Labour in December 2006. "The Department of Labour announced the new adjustments in terms of the sectoral determination for domestic workers, which sets out the minimum wages and employment conditions for the workers in this most vulnerable sector," he said.

The new wage table stipulates that domestic workers wages would go up to R1066,90 per month for employees working more than 27 hours in a week. "But this applies in area A or the higher paid areas which are mostly metropolitan areas." Sebetso said those working for more than 27 hours per week in the lower paid areas "mostly rural" will have their wages go up to R865,54 per month. Last year the minimum salaries were R997,04 and R808,92 respectively. As a result of the changes, close to 530 000 employers are required by law to inform the UIF commissioner. "Such information regarding changes in remuneration should be forwarded within seven days after the end of each month. In this case, information should be supplied to the fund before January 7 this year," Sebetso said.

"All those domestic employers who pay their UIF contributions annually were expected to submit their declarations once a year, but this must also be in line with the new wage increases. "Failure to comply with the law can result in employers being fined or imprisoned. Close to 628 000 domestic employees were registered with the UIF since 2003. "Since the first registration in 2003, UIF has made more than R65 million payments to about 74,000 beneficiaries as temporary relief during their time of unemployment," he said. "Although most of the claims were largely in the unemployment benefits, the Fund received the applications on other benefits such as the maternity, adoption and death benefits." Sebetso said the UIF "prides itself of the exceptional contributions it made in alleviating poverty in this sector".

For easy filing and registrations, employees can go to http://www.busrep.co.za/www.ufiling.gov.za. - Sapa

BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN AFRICAN BANKING

Hey there bloggers, and this is the post for the 4th May

Wow, can you imagine the difference this would make to the average Joe's time - not having to stand in a queue, not having to argue endlessly with Bank personnel because documents have gone missing and not having to deal with incompetent individuals who have no business working in a Business environment.

Perhaps, if we are really very lucky, they (the banks that is) will also train their staff on how to talk to customers - we are the idiots that pay their salaries at the end of the day, not some irritation that needs to be dealt with one way or another.

Well, I can dream can't I?

Business process management in African banking

By: Jean Moncrieff

Wouldn’t it be great if banking were really as friendly, fast and simple as marketing campaigns make it look? Sadly, in the real world, most of us find interactions with our banks extremely frustrating. Are banks really in touch with our requirements, or are their processes focused on their own agendas and what they think we ought to want? For anybody with some knowledge of the revolution in business process thinking over the past decade or so, it’s clear that the financial services industry is still very functionally oriented. Have you tried applying for a new product recently? I tried to open a new account with a bank last year but gave up after more than a month had gone by with no result.

The consultant responsible for dealing with my application fell ill, and although the bank had a team responsible for handling new business, my application and supporting documentation could not be found. If this bank had an effective case management solution in place they would have been able to provide a quicker, more efficient service – and been able to optimise their own underlying process for opening a new account. In a Business Process Management Congress held in South Africa last year, industry expert Dr Michael Hammer proposed a formula for measuring a company’s value add to a customer. The two crucial variables are the value time (VT) within which customers expect to get what they want, and the elapsed time (ET) it actually takes. The smaller the gap between VT and ET – ideally it should be zero or even less than zero – the better you are doing. To achieve that, businesses need to focus on the customer’s end goal rather than their own processes. For example, you will probably have noticed that you are asked to supply your ID and proof of address for FICA purposes every single time you apply for a new product at your bank. This shouldn’t be necessary – and it wouldn’t be, if banks linked FICA documentation to a central customer record or case folder. By taking this more customer-centric approach, banks would dramatically improve the customer experience and avoid frustration – for their employees as well as their clients.

Planning stages only

According to Gartner, many banks in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region are in the process of renewing their core banking systems. So far this process is only in the planning stage for most African banks, but these are embracing emerging technologies. This opens doors for banks across Africa to dramatically improve customer service levels and become more compliant. They will need to put in place systems that streamline processes and deal with customers as individuals – in actions, not just in marketing promises. From the moment it receives a new account application, a bank should create a case history for each customer. This may include receiving and processing an application, verification, requesting more information, assessment, making a decision and then closing the application -- a wide range of information to help it know its customer. Normally several different bank employees will work on different aspects of the application process – a dynamic case management solution can alert each employee to complete a task and access only the parts of a case they are working on.

Make jobs easier

This will not only result in a better experience for customers, it will also make the bank employees’ jobs easier. A solution such as Global 360’s Case Manager gives each user a comprehensive, clear view of every case, sets alerts and deadlines for tasks, offers real-time web access to an entire case history and makes information exchange between departments better and faster. All too often in banks across Africa, one sees customers standing outside the banking hall in what seems like a mile-long queue. Banks that are considering upgrading their systems now have a unique opportunity to transform the banking experience for their customers, while at the same time improving their own efficiency.

BRIBERY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Good morning bloggers - still catching up - this is what should have been posted on the 2nd May.

Well it may be that according to this article, Bribery is in the eye of the beholder, but in my life bribery is an act, not anything else and it is wrong! This means that if you get caught speeding, you are responsible for your actions and need to take your punishment in that spirit.

If you commit a crime of any sort - you are accountable. If you want something, you need to earn it - not just be able to buy it.

In my opinion, bribery has become a way of life here in South Africa and quite frankly, we will never be able to deal with crime effectively if we view bribery "in the eye of the beholder".

Bribery is in the eye of the beholder

Tumi Makgetla

27 March 2007 11:59

Most people believe that corruption occurs to speed up approvals to which people are legally entitled, a survey has found. The number of people who believe this roughly equals the number of people who think that corruption is a means to ill-gotten gains. Business Against Crime and the German Technical Cooperation Agency commissioned the survey as part of business’s contribution to the South African National Anti-Corruption Forum. The recently published survey measures perceptions of corruption in the private sector. Although the study looks primarily at bribery as an indicator of corrupt behaviour, it also considers perceptions of unethical behaviour, such as nepotism. It concludes that, while South Africa does not have high levels of corruption, perceptions are important because a country that is perceived as corrupt may attract corrupt investors.“Changing the perceptions of the unethical culture in the South Africa business environment is essential for maintaining faith in the continued growth of the South African economy,” it states.

Some of the measures that respondents agree on to combat corruption include the public disclosure of names of convicted white-collar criminals, sharing information on corruption within industries and more vigilant investigative journalism. More active cooperation between business and the state and standards for sound financial reporting are also highlighted as potential deterrents. The Centre for Business and Professional Ethics at the University of Pretoria conducted the survey last year. It received responses from 760 businesses from across a wide spectrum of industries. The vast majority of these were domestically owned or controlled. Only a fifth of the respondents were listed on the stock exchange and a third were considered to be large enterprises. The general findings confirm a view that South Africa has relatively low levels of corruption. About 7% of the surveyed companies had individuals who had accepted bribes, with 11,5% of companies saying that they had been offered bribes but had not accepted. Sixteen percent of companies had received demands for bribes that they had not paid and 5,5% of companies met demands to pay a bribe. Respondents reported that bribes were demanded from other companies (26,3%), intermediaries (22,5%), local government (19,6%) and provincial or national government (10%).

The Pretoria University study cites an international comparison conducted by Transparency International, which ranks countries according to the frequency that ordinary citizens pay bribes. Five percent of South Africans responded that they had paid bribes to institutions like the police and education system. This put the country in the company of countries like the United States, Sweden and Turkey. The next band up, where 6% to 15% of citizens paid bribes include countries like Luxembourg, Russia and Colombia. The worst ranking countries included Albania and Cameroon, where over 40% of citizens reported paying bribes. In the Pretoria University study, most respondents said that bribes were under R10000 but nearly one-fifth said that the bribes were between R10000 and R50000.

The study found that middle management was most likely to be involved in corruption, followed by skilled and semi-skilled staff and then top management. It comments that the involvement of management is a concern because they should be responsible for ethical leadership. The survey also probed what forms of “gratification” were used in corrupt transactions. About 16% understood gratification to mean monetary bribes and kickbacks, followed by 13% who saw it as gifts, 11% who saw it as favours and 8% who saw it as excessive entertainment. Very few respondents, about 4%, knew of extortion or blackmail being used to get people involved in corrupt activities.

Gauteng is perceived to have the largest corruption problem, followed by Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.