Born in the RSA!

In December, the Silicon Valley Business Journal made a remarkable statement regarding four of their first five winners of the US’s high-tech chief executive officer awards, which feature competition from the likes of Google’s Larry Page. It said: “Here’s something interesting about our executive of the year awards, something that hadn’t occurred to us at the time that these four executives were selected – they are all originally from South Africa.”

Born in the RSA!.

 

 

Spotlight on Social Media engaging and helping stamp out Crime and Corruption in SA.

  In the spirit of what I am trying to achieve on the CyberAfrica blog, I am definately and humbled not to be in a vacuum, and must admiraly comment on how the local web in SA has gone viral in mass, on trying to counteract Crime and Corruption in South Africa.

There are many groups tirelessly and persistant in trying to stamp out the huge exponential rise in crime and corruption in our vulnerable country. From Facebook, Twitter, Websites, RSS Feeds, You Tube and many blogs, there has been a counteractive, counter resistance group, rise up from the people against all odds, who do want to make a real difference. A local blogger I can comment on is Jeremy Farrell.

It’s very encouraging to say the least, that we have reached a stage where crime and corruption are being reported and broadcasted live, where all have a say, and it’s comes with a warm heart to know, that most South African citizens are voicing their dismay and discontent about the unruly, including certain members and people holding onto power in our government.

  Although the Clem Sunters and First Rand Founder Paul Harris’s (see Don’t Stress about SA) , paint a relatively positive future for our Economy, what is the point of having an economy when charlatan’s are eating away the very base and foundation of our community fiscal strongholds? Not being sinical but, how does it help comment on positive change in our country, when the moral fiber of our supposed leadership is being devoured and eaten away by greed, nepotism, undue enrichment,self entitlement and huge moral decay.

I truly believe that a “litmus test” to show how one’s government is taking a moral stand and accountability for it’s people, is measured by how it’s own people. less empowered ,community leaders and people are having to tackle more community responsibilities, and provision them by themselves,and need to be more aware and engaged. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the government is losing it’s grip on providing a safe haven for it’s people, the people will create one by themselves. This has been seen time and time again in 3rd World countries, but here comes the advent of easily, fast and available technology, individuals are now empowered to make a difference, good or bad…”The Good Digital Divide” is happening and let’s pray “the good” prevails and grows from strength to strength.

  A had a few exciting developments started in 2007, with the warfare and sabotage on corruption and these forces becoming more apparent on our radar screens, the Net tools (weapons and ammunition) have exponentionally evolved in SA. One of the catalysts, I need to mention is from Graham Power‘s planting a seed by sharing  his personal and spiritual vindication, with http://www.unashamedlyethical.com.  This organisation creating a business leaders  pledge and awareness campaign, promoting a Christian ethos against unethical business practice asking owners and customers to join the rise up against this Samson called corruption.

The SARS has been on the ball a web link for anybody to report any suspicious business or fraudulent activity on www.sars.gov.za/home.asp?pid=218. Then followed by a direct live community based interactive reporting portal which was originally (and ironically)  for traffic fine camera warnings, to prevent the public from being speed trapped or held up at a police road block. It  has now evolved into a full blown community driven crime and corruption broadcast,  live from all walks (literally from mobile phones) of life in SA including police and paramedics on the scene of each tragedy. “A community driven policing force”, if one would call it. See  www.PublicServant.co.za and http://www.facebook.com/TrafficWC. It’s interesting, good always seems to rise above bad in the collective community sense.

  Missing Children SA, started the good fight against human trafficking, to provide a structure of re-active support to the family, authorities and other NGO’s when a person goes missing; To provide pro-active national awareness to children and their families, media, authorities, communities and schools.  – Missing Children SA is fulfilling a huge void, and has a highly important and powerful role in our society .

It’s scary when one Googles human trafficking in Africa, a common problem around the world, but rampant in this continent due to corrupt migration systems, officials and lack of policing.  Good sites to take up the cause are http://stoptraffickingofpeople.wordpress.com/, concerning South Africa Human trafficking go to http://redlightweb.co.za/ The statistics are frightening to say the least, see: Just Saskia, Stop Trafficking People, or UNESCO‘s Report on Child Trafficking.

Not to mention for the love of our furry friends ther is also https://www.facebook.com/MissingPetsZA/info

  There are many to mention and too many to thank and applaud for this boom of social entrepeneurship, I have not even included The New Era Economic Rights Alliance which is fighting the good battle for everyone , seeking transparency in the banking and corporate sector in SA. Protecting you & I against unscrupulous financial corporates and conglomerates, who have, and are colluding and taking advantage of the ordinary man in the street, billing them unecessary, taking away their homes and life savings, in the name of greed and profit, all this by mere small written contract clauses,which surpass our basic constitutional rights. Have you known about a bank who will reach out a hand to us, during financial lows?…No, not I, just even to protect our family and provide a sheltered home, that is not written in the contract, sorry Sir, pay up or you and your family is on the street!

Then comes, Corruption Watch (CW)  which was invited to make a presentation at the Institute for Security Studies’ international conference on crime and criminal justice on Friday, 26/10/2012

Within three days of Corruption Watch’s launch on 26 January 2012, more than 70 reports relating to metro cop bribery, allegations of nepotism and driving-licence corruption had been received from across South Africa, the presentation reads.

A total of 945 reports of corruption have been lodged with the organisation between 1 January* and 30 September this year, according to the presentation titled Citizens reporting corruption in South Africa: reports received by Corruption Watch.

http://twitter.com/Corruption_SA  is one of the many interactive social media platforms, which gives the public a very powerful voice, it empowers our communities, gives us all a vote of confidence,a huge leap into the Digital Age, but most of all, proving that most out there have an inclination towards contributing towards social good, showing a geniune care towards our fellow beings, our neighbours, our watchers, our service providers, and of course protecting our family. The arrival of the neighbourhood watch are on Uber Digital scale has arrived! Even as I write this blog, Google has launched a Hurrican Map and reporting site for Hurrican Sandy.

A similar watchdog is Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) on  http://www.jp-sa.org/, JPSA has established a prominent foothold and reputation in protecting and fighting for the rights of motorists and is widely recognised as the only “motorists’ rights” organisation that has both, the guts and capacity to represent the motoring public in addressing these issues. Their Facebook link is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-Project-South-Africa-JPSA/107912058847?ref=ts&fref=ts

The founder in South Africa of taking the community policing to the Internet is eBlockwatch, which is on URL: http://www.eblockwatch.co.za/. eBlockwatch has been very innovative in combatting crime and protecting our vulnerable citizens in a crime ridden society. From protecting tourists visiting South Africa, to tracking down stolen goods, and of course people, using cloud and mobile software tools, eblockwatch is a network of more than 83 000 South Africans looking out for each other and our tourists. There Facebook link is: http://www.facebook.com/groups/102575386217/

For the hard workers, who want to know that that their sweat & blood went into paying taxes for the right reasons, for the parents who are looking for their lost loved ones,for the community builders, for the police, for the security watchmen, for the paramedics, for the teachers, for our churches, and lastly for our government, society is becoming engaged in mass, engaged to protect and nurture one another . It’s simple, poor governance=corruption=disparity 7 disorder= break down of law and order= rise up of the masses=factions=unrest=protecting ones civil rights=creates solidarity = fighting for cause= protecting your neighbours=public engagement=collaborating=creating awareness = the peoples voice (media) =using the best tools and groups to go viral=using online social networking. And hopefully a democratic driven mediation for better governance.

So, whatever your cause is, online groups, social media can at least empower you or your social cause, to actively partake and polic your local neighbourhood, your community and in the case of South Africa at present, our government!

We hope and pray that the voice of the people, and technology brings a better future and equality for all in SA.

I will end this blog with the quotations on the Justice Project South Africa’s website: “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, all that is required for the triumph of evil is that good men and woman to do nothing, what lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.”

Some good reference websites on reporting and fighting the “good” fight:
http://www.missingchildren.org.za/
http://stoptraffickingofpeople.wordpress.com/
http://redlightweb.co.za/
www.sars.gov.za/home.asp?pid=218
http://www.newera.org.za
http://www.unashamedlyethical.com
http://www.PublicServant.co.za
http://www.corruptionwatch.org.za
http://www.jp-sa.org/
http://www.eblockwatch.co.za/
http://www.politicalanalysis.co.za/2012/09/18/why-corruption-in-south-africas-public-sector-is-at-an-all-time-high/
http://ozziesaffa.blogspot.com/2010/06/tenderitis-at-root-of-ancs-corruption.html
http://bharchive.blogspot.com/2011/08/all-about-corruption.html
http://www.icgg.org/
http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/

My next detailed Blog post, will be about the big global move towards Social Entrepreneurship.

Happy Blogging!

This is CyberAfrica reporting on “Social media for Social Good. ”

Social entrepreneurship is the recognition of a social problem and the uses of entrepreneurial principles to organise, create and manage a social venture to achieve a desired social change.

Schools eNetwork Project – We need your support!

As a business development manager, my goal is to keep current with one’s market,setup & manage strategic relationships & alliances with companies.Leveraging each other’s expertise, technologies or intellectual property to expand our capacities for identifying, researching, analyzing and bringing to market new business,services & products.

South Africa is one of the gateways of doing business in Africa, as an extension of my work role, I attempt to promote and contribute to ICT and technology development, which can be sustainable in Africa, by using a networking arena for the promotion of empowering technologies – Energizing Africa is the vision & Breaking the Digital Divide is the way…

The strengths of tapping into a vast network of resourceful people to help catalyse social change and growth in Africa, advocates a network of doing good business with good people as we do good in our world.

At present I am fortunate to be employed in a company, Comtel Communications,  which has

an altruistic mind-set & dedication to a project which energizes a strong passion in me. www.sent.org.za (Schools eNetwork Trust) uses the resources of our commercial company to provide schools in the Cape Province with free Wireless Internet. We are going through the process of being registered as a Trust with PBO status, in order to pool in stakeholders for further resources to provide e-Learning, VoIP PBX and further resources for our schools in the future. I am hoping that the 2 years I spent in Nigeria, on a similar project will help in furthering this project.

The pilot project started in September 2011 to provide free Internet access to over 80 schools in the Cape Peninsula. Driven by our director who is a retired school teacher, we have dedicated over R1 million in resources to this project & it is gaining momentum (incl. government educational departments and affiliates interest).

Stake holders at present are: Comtel & their staff, Scoop Distribution (Cape Town). We gratefully accept your assistance, advice & broadcasting the message out there to potential stake holders.SENT brochure is available in MyBox filesharing on this page -> http://za.linkedin.com/in/cyberafrica

Thanks for your interest, and lets hope we can all support and learn from each other, as collaboration is the key to a successful NGO project!

We are living in exponential times….Mind blowing Trivia on Video!

These are all incredible trivia-packed presentations on the state of the world, but also note that the trivia has changed by the time it is presented, due to our rapidly changing world.  There are now two versions of “Did You Know 4.0″, released online in 2009 in response to “Shift Happens, Did You Know?”, a presentation developed by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman in 2007.

Back in 2007 Karl Fisch presented an eight minute PowerPoint presentation for staff development at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado. Fisch used content from David Warlick, Thomas Friedman, Ian Jukes and Ray Kurzweil, tying it together with music from Last of The Mohicans. Scott McLeod adapted the presentation by removing many of the school-specific slides and reformatting it in a number of formats.

This completely new December 2009 version, designed by XPLANE, includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. The video encourages viewers to visit mediaconvergence.com,economist.com and shifthappens.wikispaces.com. Music is “Home Tonight”, by DoKashiteru.

Click on the image below to play the video in YouTube (HD)

Richard Sanders, President of Sony BMG International, presented this version of Shift Happens on 4 May 2008, to 150 of the company’s top executives gathered in Rome for Sony BMG’s annual Global Management Meeting.

The video was used to illustrate the global demand for change, reinforcing Sony BMG’s mission to improve the music experience for consumers living in “exponential times”. The final sentence drives home the need for music companies to take into account the importance of digital music downloads. Soundtrack is “Right Here Right Now” by Fatboy Slim.

The Newly Revised Edition

Brothers Darren Bachynski and Jared Bachynski have produced their own update on “Did You Know?”, titled “4.0 for 2009 Globalization & Our Changing Planet”.

The key to watching this version is to keep going right to the end. Once you’ve read the final sentence, everything falls into perspective.

Click on the image below to play the video in YouTube (HD)

Talking about trivia… these statistics are from 2009. Imagine what they will be like in 10 years time ?

CyberAfrica chosen to do Digital Marketing campaign for London to Cape Town epic journey for Riders for Health

Deon Friis, a Cape Town based engineer, left London yesterday (on his birthday) on an epic motorcycle journey on a Inspired by Ewan McGregor. A local South African working as an engineer in London for the last 6 months, he is travelling solo across 11 African countries, over 55 days, on a BMW RS 1200 GS motorbike, in aid of the charity Riders for Health. Please support this wonderful cause, to raise funding ‘Riders for Health’ which is a non-governmental organization dedicated to reaching communities in rural Africa with health care on a regular basis by establishing an infrastructure of reliable and sustainable transportation. Riders for Health mobilise health workers from ministries of health and local organizations, enabling them to reach outlying communities with vital and often life-saving health care.

CyberAfrica has been chosen to provide all digital marketing via social media for this epic journey. We are excited to provide live updates, using the best technologies available on the Internet. Social Media is the pre-eminent social media marketing in the world today— and we are leading the way in “social media for social good.”

CyberAfrica coalesces the strengths of traditional and social media to help its clients –- best-of-class brands, socially-conscious companies and leading charitable organizations elevate brand equity, drive revenue, boost donations, build brand evangelism and catalyze social change. We do good business with good people as we do good in our world.

We are not a public relations firm wearing a social media hat. We are a highly-effective, highly-selective social media firm that helps brands get the most out of social media — whatever their business, whatever their goals. We hand-select a few best-of-class clients each year, which enables us to provide unequalled service and unmatched results.

Social media also gives you the opportunity to tell your own story in your own way. You’re not limited to “the story you think you can sell to the reporter.”

Ian Anderson, the owner and founder of CyberAfrica, chatted to Deon before he left London yesterday. Deon has put everything on line; he has resigned from his job in London, all his personal savings are being used for the trans-African trip, and his wife just lost her job in Cape Town. They also have a three year old daughter to support, but his philanthropic motivation for this cause is very important to him. Speaking to his wife Leone in Cape Town this morning, she supports Deon 100% with what he is doing, and being a South Africa male, she says he needs to follow through his adventurous spirit, and she looks forward to a content Deon when he arrives back.

Follow Deon’s journey on his London 2 The Cape site , and please help donate to the wonderful cause. All donations can be made through a Paypal account for Riders for Health, and we are in the process of opening a South African bank account and credit card donation link.

The South African,a media mag for South African’s in London, spoke to Deon about the journey and his cause. See The South African article.

One can also follow Deon’s live comments on his Twitter account and see the Riders for Health website on what they worthy fundraising cause is about.

Bon Voyage Deon, we wish you God speed on your journey, and may there be many donations forthcoming!

From the CyberAfrica team!

Give us your views on Riders for Health

CyberAfrica – “Social Media for Social Good in Africa”

CyberAfrica is a B2B dedicated to the promotion and implementation enabling technologies for development throughout Africa. We use social media as the main thrust to maximise this goal.

Social Media is the pre-eminent social media marketing in the world today— and we are leading the way in “social media for social good in Africa.”

Social Media is the pre-eminent social media marketing in the world today— and we are leading the way in “social media for social good in Africa.”

We are a group of talented, passionate specialists who resolutely believe that social media can unleash the greatest good our world has ever seen. We saw it everyday, and we see it among the millions of people we reach each month across our social media platforms. CyberAfrica coalesces the strengths of traditional and social media to help its clients –- best-of-class brands, socially-conscious companies and leading charitable organizations elevate brand equity, drive revenue, boost donations, build brand evangelism and catalyze social change. We do good business with good people as we do good in our world.

We are not a public relations firm wearing a social media hat. We are a highly-effective, highly-selective social media firm that helps brands get the most out of social media — whatever their business, whatever their goals. We hand-select a few best-of-class clients each year,which enables us to provide unequalled service and unmatched results

Social media represents the most seismic shift in the history of business. It is the fastest-growing form of communication in history — and it allows word-of-mouth to spread orders-of-magnitude faster than ever before. This means that “small town rules” apply once again. In other words, everyone knows what you’re saying. If your brand is good, the world will find out and do business with you. If you’re disingenuous, the world will find out and ignore you — or worse: punish you for it. Everyone has a voice now; do not underestimate the new “power of one.“

Doubt the power of social media? We have two words for you: Barack Obama. In 2004, few people had heard that name.

Within four years, the man would outpace the most well-oiled, well-entrenched political machine of our generation (The Clintons) and then proceed to steamroll his competition right into the While House. In. Four. Years. How did he do it? Soaring oratory and social media.

The heart of the business seeks and introduces technologies which would enhance a large proportion of the developing Africa’s population (the BoP or “Base of the Pyramid”)

By providing social media platforms with value adds with collaboration, will assist as being one of the many catalysts, to unleash the enormous wealth potential, Africa has to offer..

Embracing the true needs of the people is the key, thereby enabling entrepreneurship, empowering its people and communities. All technologies must have a direct & positive influence on people, and do not need to be cutting edge.

Our aim is to continually develop strategic partners with the best of breed ethical personalities and products, seeking common grounds with all parties involved, to minimise barriers of entry into markets and communities.

All the above will be a catalyst in enabling Africa to provide a platform to realise and unleash its full potential.

At present, we are committed to ICT and Cause Development in Africa within the following sectors: Education, Health & Welfare,Telecoms,Technology & Transformation

CyberAfrica promotes and is a signatory of the Constitution of Unashamedly Ethical (www.unashamedlyethical.com) , by committing ourselves and or our organizations to clean and ethical living and practices. We encourage our clients and associates to join our vision.