Up until recently, the logistical and financial challenges of reaching the informal markets – whether in under-developed human settlements or in rural areas – prevented retailers from expanding into this untapped market. Fortunately, rapid advances in technology in the form of robust, easy-to-use and highly customisable terminals now allow retailers to “set up shop” quite literally anywhere in South Africa, quickly and cost-effectively.

These terminals, known as the V5 Rica terminals, were recently launched by CFS Rica, the company behind successful RICA registration of more than 40 million sim cards across South Africa. With more than 40 000 purpose-built Sim Registration terminals already deployed in formal and informal retail channels throughout South Africa, supporting the ongoing registration of around 1.5 million sim subscribers each month, CFS Rica has certainly proven the exceptional reliability and superb functionality of their terminals.

The next generation V5 Rica terminals have retained many of the proven features of its predecessor – such as exceptional portability and ease-of-use, reliability, robustness and low theft value, a spill-proof QWERTY keyboard, an external antenna and a long-lasting battery. But the latest version now also incorporates a GPS tracking module which enabling geo-tagging of the exact location of each terminal, as well as an internal 3G/GPRS modem for connectivity from remote locations and the encryption and transmission of data. In addition to the standard 2-megapixel integrated customer-facing webcam for taking pictures, as well as a FIPS-approved biometric fingerprint reader, a range of peripherals can be attached as “plug-and-play devices”.  These include flatbed scanners, USB hand-held barcode scanners, thermal printers, signature pads, numeric keypads, magswipe card readers and debit and credit card payment devices.

This new level of functionality opens up incredible retail opportunities through a number of innovative applications that run on the terminals. Far beyond small retail outlets simply selling food and other basic necessities, these terminals allow them to increase their offering to include pre-paid airtime, electricity and insurance vending; Money Transfer transactions and registrations; agency banking services including remote account opening and conducting basic transactions; ticketing for events and transport such as busses and trains; barcode scanning for stock control; and fingerprinting for successful loyalty programmes and lay-bye programmes.

“In this way, the retail outlet becomes more than just a ‘shop’, it becomes a ‘point of presence’ or a central hub of economic activity in the area,” comments Craig Aiken, CEO and Project Director of CFS Rica. “In fact, the advanced transaction technology on which these terminals are based can be adapted to our clients’ exact needs – and deployed, managed and supported wherever our clients’ customers may be. Retailers can now, quite literally, take their offerings to the doorstep of their customers, no matter where they may be located. It is the quickest, most convenient and most cost-effective way to bridge the gap between the formal market and vast, untapped informal market in South Africa.”
While the terminals operate as stand-alone devices, independent from a retailer’s main infrastructure, advance technology ensures connectivity at all times, without the need for high-value equipment such as iPhones or iPads that create a theft, damage or loss risk.

Furthermore, the terminals are backed-up by CFS Rica’s unique support package that encompasses optimised uptime, including the ability to upgrade firmware and effect repairs onsite; optimised insight including a full asset management system to keep track of the data flow, utilisation and location of each terminal; and optimised efficiency, by putting in place the systems and processes to create a full turnkey solution that extends from hardware and software design and development, local manufacture, installation and logistics to repair facilities, data hosting and full support.

“For retailers ready to tap into the vast informal market, ready to expand their distribution channels and ready raise their service offering and competitive advantage to a new level, CFS Rica has the experience and the expertise to create the required solution,” concludes Aiken. “We have the technology and the strategic partnerships that deliver cutting edge technology and support to retailers – locally, throughout Africa and internationally – who want to offer their customers innovative and value-added services that also simulate job creation and economic development.”
For more information please visit www.cfsrica.co.za or contact (011) 465 8975.

“Any solution that will allow the banking industry to tap into this significant growth area must encompass numerous unique features and innovations – particularly in the areas of distribution, process and client service – and must be deployed quickly and efficiently to ensure success,” comments Craig Aiken, CEO and Project Director of CFS Rica, the company that implemented the technology and end-to-end service that allowed millions of South Africans to complete their sim card RICA registrations conveniently and quickly.

CFS Rica amassed vast experience and expertise while providing and supporting the registration terminal network that RICA’d millions of South African Sim cards and enabled Money Transfer transactions and registrations on many of the existing  40 000 Sim Registration terminals. In addition, the company provided, installed and supported  Customer Feedback Devices in all of Nedbank’s 400 plus branches throughout the country, as well as for Barclays Bank across nine African countries. Based on this background, Aiken is uniquely positioned to provide valuable insights into the specific success factors of a solution to reach the unbanked.

“Firstly, banking institutions require custom-designed devices that feature exceptional portability and ease-of-use, including a 12-hour battery life and simple on-and-off switches, as well as robustness and reliability, including the ability to withstand wind, dust and spills. Secondly, the devices must have a low theft value and be unsuitable for any other purpose, unlike mobile phones and tablets. A QWERTY keyboard is essential to enable fast, easy and accurate data capturing, eliminating errors associated with touch-screen devices,” explains Aiken. “Thirdly, each terminal must feature GPS tracking and be managed by a full asset management system to keep track of the data flow and the terminal location.”

“The solution enables customer and transaction data to be paperlessly and accurately captured at source while eliminating unauthorised use such as browsing the Internet or playing games. A range of functional peripherals – such as scanners, barcode scanners, printers, signature pads, numeric keypads, magswipe card readers, debit and credit card payment devices and fingerprint scanners – which attach to the terminal as plug-and-play devices or through customisation. In addition, the terminal includes an integrated customer-facing webcam for taking pictures and basic facial recognition taking customer registration to a new level,” adds Aiken.

“Data transmission can be best achieved through dual SIM capability for enhanced network coverage; integrated Ethernet for connecting to a bank’s WAN and optional Wi-Fi connectivity and/or an internal 3G/GPRS modem, allowing for real time connectivity to the bank system, even from remote locations. Robust offline storage prevents any possible loss of information that is not uploaded successfully due to connectivity issues.”

Security is paramount for the banking industry, and in this respect Aiken recommends a secure system with a FIPS201-compliant biometric fingerprint log-in, as well as data encryption to international standards. “Lastly, ongoing support is crucial,” says Aiken. “For example, a supplier that provides on-site repairs negates the time-consuming and costly process of sending in devices for repairs. The ability to upgrade firmware remotely also contributes to a cost-effective solution.”

CFS Rica and their latest V5 Terminal, tick all these boxes, providing the next-generation biometric customer registration and transaction technology that can be adapted to each banking institution’s exact needs and can be deployed, managed and supported wherever the bank’s previously unreached and unbanked customers may be.

“The CFS Rica V5 Terminal essentially allows banking institutions to take agency banking anywhere, with robust, secure and traceable biometric registration terminals that can support the opening of accounts, the provision of statements and balances, money transfer, social grant payouts and the capturing and updating the FICA Know Your Customer (KYC) data. The terminals can be extended to process withdrawals and deposits, as well as one-step loan applications. It is a banking platform custom-designed for the harsh conditions experienced in rural areas and informal settings, enabling the banking industry to reach unbanked areas quickly, efficiently and with exceptional accuracy and affordability, literally taking banking to the people,” concludes Aiken.

For more information please visit www.cfsrica.co.za or contact (011) 011 465 8975.

You are mobile and dynamic, and you simply cannot be slowed down by the outdated practice of keeping a manual logbook in the cubbyhole, and painstakingly recording odometer readings, client details and the reason for the visit after every single trip. Yet, you need a detailed logbook to prove billable hours to your company or client, and to claim your travel tax allowances and expenses.

Now you can Simply Plug and Drive with GPS Logbook, a small, stylish and hassle-free device which simply plugs into the cigarette lighter of your vehicle and records each and every trip, using high sensitivity GPS, intelligent logging software and a substantial logging memory. The GPS Logbook automatically and accurately logs the date, time and opening and closing odometer readings, GPS coordinates and fuel consumption for each trip, and even records your vehicle services and car washes!

When you need the data, simply upload via USB on your computer (both PC and Mac compliant) to the GPS Logbook website www.gpslogbook.co.za. Here you can view and categorise your trips using Google Maps, add your comments and notes and create “zones” for your frequent trips, which will then be categorised automatically.

With a click of your mouse, you can keep track of daily meetings and monthly travel expenses, print a number of useful business travel claim reports as and when required, and produce an accurate and detailed SARS-compliant logbook to claim your vehicle travel tax allowance (which will only be considered by SARS if your mileage has been accurately recorded in a logbook that is not deemed deficient in any way).

You can also charge your smartphone, GPS or other mobile USB devices while using the GPS Logbook and the intuitive LED indicator alerts you when the device’s memory is almost full, so you can Simply Plug and Drive. Take the hum-drum out of an exciting sales career and stay mobile and dynamic by investing in the GPS Logbook for only R849.00 including VAT. For more information or to purchase the GPS Log Book device visit the secure website at www.gpslogbook.co.za or contact 0861 GPS LOG / 0861 477 564.

Unfortunately, with the onset of the wet season, followed by the heat and humidity of summer, pests such as ticks – and the diseases they carry – abound. Humans in close and frequent contact with tick-infected animals are at risk of contracting tick-borne diseases, of which tick-bite fever is the most common in South Africa.

Protecting your pets from tick bites and tick-borne disease is crucial – not only to keep your pets healthy, but also to protect your family and your guests.
TOP 10 things you should know about ticks

1. There are two main ticks that prey on pets: the Yellow Dog Tick (Haemaphysalis elliptica) and the kennel tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus).
2. Ticks are major transmitters of a number of tick-borne diseases, including canine biliary fever (Babesia canis) and Ehrlichiosis in dogs.
3. Ticks grasp onto passing hosts from leaf litter, tips of grass, etc. Most ticks are picked up on the lower legs from where they crawl up the body seeking a place to feed. Adult ticks will however seek a host, such as a dog, in the shrub layer several feet above the ground at about the height of children.
4. Biliary is a serious tick-borne disease which infects dogs, cats, horses and livestock. Ticks transmit tiny infectious parasites into their host’s bloodstream where they multiply in the red blood cells.
5. Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne rickettsial disease transmitted through the saliva of ticks. This bacterium infects and kills the white blood cells.
6. Clinical signs of these diseases in dogs may be acute or chronic and include symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, pale gums and inner eyelids, vomiting and, with biliary, red discoloured urine.
7. The symptoms can manifest anytime from 10 – 28 days after transmission has taken place. In severe infections, death may occur within as little as one day, unless effective treatment is received.
8. When removing ticks from your dog, ensure that you rub a little alcohol to disinfect the affected area, then remove the tick with pointy tweezers by grabbing the tick close to the skin and in a slow steady motion pull the tick out – like you would a splinter. Disinfect again.
9. Tick-bite fever is caused by a bacteria Rickettsia conori and is transmitted by ticks.
10. Symptoms of tick bite fever in humans may include fever, headache, malaise and a skin rash.

Expert advice
Prevention is better than cure. If you are planning to travel with your dogs to areas where ticks are prevalent – such as areas with long grass or bushveld regions – ensure that your dogs are adequately protected against ticks.

The only way to protect dogs against biliary is through tick control. Maintain a tick and flea prevention programme all year round and continuously check your pets for ticks. If you suspect that your dog has biliary, visit your local veterinarian immediately.

“An early diagnosis enables us to treat the dog in time. Tick-borne diseases such as biliary can, however, be prevented and with correct treatment such as an effective and trusted tick product, these diseases can be controlled,” says Dr Remo Lobetti, Specialist Vet at Bryanston Veterinary hospital.

• Protect yourself: Ticks can attach anywhere on your body, but prefer spots like the back of your knees, the waistband area and armpits. Ticks do not wash off in the shower! If you have been in tick habitat, thoroughly check your entire body and remove attached ticks immediately.
• Protect your pets: Check for ticks by grooming your pets regularly and carefully. Remember immature ticks are small and look like pepper granules. The most popular tick bite prevention products are topical sprays and spot-on. Correctly and timely applied to your pet’s skin, these products can greatly reduce the risk of tick bites. Products that kill on contact will prevent your pet from bringing ticks into your home and placing you or your family members at risk.

For more information about ticks and tick control, call the Certifect Helpline at 0860 637 425 or e-mail: contact_za@merial.com.

NOTE TO EDITOR
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,600 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2010 sales were more than $2.6 billion. Merial is a Sanofi company. For more information, please see www.merial.com.

While retaining many of the proven features of its predecessor – such as exceptional portability and ease-of-use, reliability, robustness, theft value, spill-proof QWERTY keyboard, external antenna and a long-lasting battery, the new generation Sim Registration terminal takes customer registration to an entirely new level.

The Rica V5 now incorporates, as standard features, a 2-megapixel integrated customer-facing webcam for taking pictures and a degree of facial recognition as well as a FIPS-approved biometric fingerprint reader. A GPS tracking module enables geo-tagging of the exact location of each terminal while an internal 3G/GPRS modem allows for connectivity from remote locations and facilitates the transmission of data.

The new model now sports a bigger and more legible 5” colour screen and multimedia speakers ensuring superb ease-of-use whilst featuring AES128 encryption; integrated Ethernet and options for Wi-Fi connectivity; as well as 64 megabytes of Flash Memory facilitates offline storage. Multiple ports and a Linux operating system allow a range of peripherals to be attached as “plug-and-play devices.

The RICA V5 still features the rugged QWERTY keyboard found on the SRT and the dual SIM capability for enhanced network coverage is still a key feature.

The add-on peripherals include small footprint ID scanners for scanning passports and ID books, A4 flat bed scanners, USB hand-held barcode scanners, thermal printers, signature pads, numeric keypads, magswipe card readers, debit and credit card payment devices, bio-character fingerprint scanners, optional V5 Power Packs which extend battery life and optional (8W) solar panels with charging circuitry.

A number of other innovative applications can run on the terminals, including customer loyalty programme and KYC registrations; pre-paid airtime, electricity and insurance vending; money transfer transactions and registrations; agency banking services including remote account opening and enabling basic transactions; voter registration and verification; social grant registrations and payments; as well as ticketing for events and transport such as busses and trains.

“We are very proud of this latest innovation – which is a culmination of the vast experience and expertise we amassed whilst providing and supporting the registration terminal network that helped RICA South Africa,” comments Craig Aiken, CEO and Project Director of CFS Rica. “This next generation customer registration and transaction technology can be adapted to our clients’ exact needs – and deployed, managed and supported wherever our clients’ customers may be. CFS Rica is ready and able to partner with in-country service providers and organisations looking not only to register their customers, but also to offer them innovative and value-added services.”

The RICA V5 simply extends the range as the highly successful SRT is still available depending on the needs of clients.

For more information please visit www.cfsrica.co.za or contact (011) 465 8975.

While this system is certainly immeasurably superior to the pen-and-paper system, ensuring every trip is recorded accurately and in full detail for a SARS-compliant tax logbook, users may well forfeit all the benefits of using a high-tech solution if the data is not secured for the mandatory five-year period as stipulated by SARS. And it is here where the GPS Log Book distinguishes itself as the most secure and reliable electronic logbook solution. When the data on the GPS Log Book device is uploaded using the USB cable and a “Sync” application that is installed automatically on the user’s computer, the user connects to GPS Log Book’s cloud-hosted secure server. This, along with advanced encryption, ensures the data is absolutely safe and secured from any possible form of loss or damage.

While the data remains accessible from anywhere in the world through all major Internet web browsers, users are assured that their data is absolutely safe in a security controlled hosting environment, featuring a guaranteed 99.9% uptime per year, high-speed bandwidth, security firewalls and the SSL data encryption used by banks to secure Internet banking facilities. In addition, GPS Log Book’s servers are equipped with redundant components, including redundant power supplies, while the data is archived and backed up daily, and databases are mirrored for added redundancy. To ensure compliance with country-specific data protection laws and regulations, GPS Log Book also hosts servers in specific countries including Australia, New Zealand, US and UK.

This advanced technology further enables GPS Log Book to provide a streamlined user experience. Due to the synchronisation between the GPS Log Book infrastructure and architecture, any maintenance or upgrades to the system are done in the Cloud, eliminating the need for user participation. When a user uploads data via the USB, upgrades to the device are automatically completed at the same time. In addition, the system allows for news, support updates and notifications of “sync status” to be sent to all users instantaneously across the globe.

Electronic logbooks that do not feature secure data encryption and storage in a cloud-hosted secure server are tantamount to the archaic pen-and-paper system in terms of the risk it poses to the user. If the data is not safe and secured in the cloud, the user faces the risk of losing this data if the device is lost or stolen, if the user’s computer crashes or if the server on which the data is stored is compromised in some way. And such a data loss could result in a significant tax liability given the strict travel allowance regulations imposed by SARS, which can reject a travel allowance tax claim if the user cannot provide a full and detailed logbook, or if SARS deems the logbook deficient in any way.

For more information on the GPS Log Book device visit www.gpslogbook.co.za or contact 0861 GPS LOG / 0861 477 564.

“Ethical decisions are becoming important to South African consumers and their purchasing decisions are increasingly influenced by issues such as global warming, carbon footprints, Fairtrade, animal welfare and good governance, with corporations becoming aware of the importance of being perceived as ethical traders,” says Peter Townshend, managing director of Ethical Living, which provides ethical and sustainable consultancy services to businesses looking to both understand their current business practice situation and implement measurable targets towards a more sustainable and accountable business.

With a thorough knowledge of ethical issues, in-depth research into the environmental and social performances of companies, and a comprehensive database of companies and their behaviour, Ethical Living is able to provide a wealth of information and expertise to these organisations.

Questions companies should ask to determine how ethical they are include:
• With whom are we doing business?
• Is any harm or suffering caused by our organisation?
• How can we reduce our impact?
• How and with whom are we investing our money?
• Who are we helping?
• Do we positively contribute to society?
• What is the difference in salary between our lowest paid and highest paid employee? How can we narrow this gap?
• Are we transparent?
• Do we market ourselves in a manner that it is truthful and is the messaging a clear and fair reflection of our products, services and behaviour?
• Are we constantly trying to improve our sustainability?

Ethical Living’s consultancy aims to provide organisations with detailed information on how to manage their businesses in the most ethical manner, including the provision of thorough research in the form of company screenings of suppliers or service providers in the company’s supply chain. By using a consultancy service, companies can be assured that they not only operate as ethically as possible, but that every company in their supply chain does so too. This is of great benefit when being scrutinised by the public, who are increasingly demanding that the companies they support operate within well-defined ethical ideals.

For more information on Ethical Living, their services and ratings of companies, contact Peter Townshend on 011 788 6369 or visit www.ethicalliving.co.za.

If you share the passion of offering an Anchor of Hope to a vulnerable child, Abraham Kriel Childcare wishes to invite you to come on board and help them give their children an Anchor of Hope by booking a seat at the 17th Annual Stars for Charity Gala Dinner and Show taking place at the Big Top Arena, Carnival City on Thursday, 20 September 2012.

The treasures and pleasures shipped in by the Stars for Charity project include a star-studded celebrity crew of more than 50 confirmed celebrities and Top Deck Entertainment, complemented by Neptune’s four-course menu and fine wine to lift the spirits, while the little AKC buccaneers, performing an item, will capture your heart and leave you with a renewed desire to love and live!

Seating arrangements are strictly first come first serve, with VIP bookings receiving preference regarding the allocation of Stars, a list of which will be available on 1 August. AKC supports responsible driving and transport is available upon request.

For more information and to make a booking, email av@abrahamkriel.co.za or contact Annamart Viljoen on 011 839 3058. Alternatively, please visit www.abrahamkriel.co.za or connect with AKC via Facebook or twitter.

Keeping the boat afloat

Abraham Kriel Childcare services include residential care in 21 homes
• 4 Houses plus a Baby Unit on the Maria Kloppers campus
• 10 Specialist /Trauma Houses on the Langlaagte campus
• 3 Satellite Houses on East Rand
• 3 Satellite Houses north of Johannesburg and 1 in Mayfair
• Impact School

Community Care with
• 2 Drop-in centres in Zola and Emdeni
• 2 Home-based Care programmes for HIV/AIDS-affected children in Soweto and Westbury
• Skills Development Centre
• Early Childhood Development Centre

In total, more than 1 000 children, from new-born babies to students, are served. They come from all races and both genders but all of them have experienced the stormy seas of life, unbelievable waves of abandonment, physical and sexual abuse, hunger and neglect. They deserve professional intervention, unconditional love and guidance to turn their situation around.

In 2010, SARS introduced new regulations with regard to travel allowances. The new regulations require individuals claiming a travel allowance to record the vehicle’s odometer reading on 1 March each year and again on the last day of February of the next year, and to keep a detailed logbook of business travel between the two dates to substantiate their travel allowance tax claims.

In addition, 80% of the travel allowance paid to an employee is subject to the deduction of employees’ tax during the year. However, where the employer is satisfied that at least 80% of the use of the vehicle during the year of assessment will be for business purposes, then only 20% of the allowance is subject to the deduction of employees tax during the year.

Individual taxpayers, however, will only be able to claim mileage recorded in a logbook. Given the reality that the vast majority of employees will not have kept a detailed logbook, these employees – and their employers, accountants and tax practitioners – may well find that that a travel allowance has become less of a perk and more of a pitfall.

The reason is simple and sobering: if SARS deems a taxpayer’s logbook deficient in any way, it can reject the travel allowance tax claim, leaving the tax payer with a potential tax liability. This is because PAYE was only deducted on 80% of the travel allowance during the year, and if the claim is rejected by SARS, PAYE on the remaining 20% of the travel allowance for each month will become payable. Employees who only paid PAYE on 20% of their travel allowance during the year, may face a significantly higher tax liability.

The simple, convenient and affordable solution is the GPS Logbook. Small, stylish and wireless, the GPS Log Book simply plugs into the cigarette lighter of a vehicle and records every trip, using high sensitivity GPS, intelligent logging software and a substantial logging memory. No complicated installation or user intervention is required and there are no subscription fees. Another USB device (iphone, Blackberry, Garmin) can be charged while using the GPS Log Book and its intuitive LED indicator lets users know when the device’s memory is almost full.

Periodically, the device is plugged into a computer (PC or Mac) via USB and the data is uploaded to the GPS Logbook website www.gpslogbook.co.za where the trips can be viewed using Google Maps, categorised and annotated with comments, resulting in a quick, detailed and SARS-compliant tax logbook, among a number of other useful business travel reports. Users can also create “zones” – areas marked on the map detailing recurring trips. Whenever a trip starts or ends within a specific zone, the route is automatically categorised according to the particular zone.

This all-round beneficial solution ensures that taxpayers can avoid any unexpected tax liability by claiming the full deduction they are entitled to. Accountants and tax practitioners no longer need to sift through piles of paper and pages of logbooks to extract the relevant detail. And SARS is assured of accurate reports in PDF format, which do not allow tampering or forging. In addition, all records will be kept safe and secure on the GPS Logbook servers for the mandatory five-year period as stipulated by SARS so they cannot be lost or destroyed and is accessible to users at any time and from anywhere in the world.
For more information on the GPS Log Book device visit www.gpslogbook.co.za or contact 0861 GPS LOG / 0861 477 564.