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Sharing thoughts and ideas on business, security and photographyGood Cell C data deals (for ipad, laptop etc) at Makro (until 31 March 2012)
Posted on March 17, 2012I have been using the Cell C 3G network for various devices (iPad, Laptop and a Phone) for the last year and a bit, and recommended it to many friends and colleagues. When the pushed the price up (double!) earlier this year that became a much harder decision, especially with the 8ta option of 10 gig a month for R199.
This afternoon I was browsing the Makro website and what did I see? Some great deals on the Cell C data sticks.
Makro Cell C deals : (link here)
- R749 = 3 Gig with 7.2Mbps USB speedstick, valid for 12 months
- R1399 = 24 Gig (2 Gig x 12 Months) with 7.2Mbps USB speedstick
- R2799 = 60 Gig (5 Gig x 12 Months) with 21.6Mbs USB speedstick
Cell C : (link here)
- R599 = 3 Gig with 7.2Mbps USB speedstick, valid for 12 months
- R1999 = 12 Gig (1 Gig x 12 Months) with 7.2Mbps USB speedstick
- R2999 = 24 Gig (2 Gig x 12 Months) with 21.6 Mbps USB speedstick
The Makro brochure shows the deal being valid until 31 March 2012. Get it while you can 
Don’t forget though, if you are in an 8ta coverage area, you can get their 60 Gig prepaid deal for R1800, and have an extra midnight surfer 60 gig thrown in for free (use between midnight and 5am).
P.S. It seems you may be able to get the same price as Makro at Cell C outlets, received the following tweet from @mandywilson_sa : @jjza we’ve got that deal u get it at cell c also, works well
Tomorrow’s Leaders Convention 2012 : My tweet timeline recorded #in
Posted on March 17, 2012
On Tuesday 13 March 2012 I had the pleasure and privilege of attending the Tomorrow’s Leaders Convention 2012 (link here) at the Sandton Convention centre as a guest of the conference organisers, representing the ISACA South Africa Chapter. The conference was really impressive and the speakers just got better as the day went on.
I tweeted quite a lot during the course of the day, capturing some of the essence of what the speakers had to say. For those of you who weren’t there, or who were and just wish to be reminded of what some of the excellent speakers had to say, below is a combination of the timelines of the @ISACAZA and @JJZA accounts I used to tweet from the day.
The theme of the convention was around ethical leadership and sustainable leadership. This lead to some really interesting presentations.
I hope this is useful to some of you.
Enjoy
Justin
| 2012/03/13 09:21 | Isacaza: Thanks to the organisers of the Tomorrow’s Leaders Convention 2012 for inviting Isaca South Africa to be part of the event. |
| 2012/03/13 09:22 | Isacaza: Keynote speaker : Adv Thulisile Madonsela, our Public Protecter #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 09:25 | Isacaza: True leaders don’t need a title, they step up and lead. Those with titles may not be leaders, but just title holders #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 09:32 | Isacaza: Is ethical leadership in the corporate world an oxymoron? It is key to sustainable leadership. #tlc |
| 2012/03/13 09:33 | Isacaza: In ethical leadership the end does not justify the means. You must do the right thing the right way. Must not break the rules! #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 09:36 | Isacaza: Public protector often approached by shareholders where the directors have manipulated the system for self enrichment. #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 09:37 | Isacaza: Ethics has become a requirement for an organisation to be a market leader. Clear link between ethics and sustainable performance #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 09:40 | Isacaza: RT @RaeleneRorke: Ethical leadership-at the core of the conference-loving the freshness of this theme.At last we make it cool to be an h … |
| 2012/03/13 09:47 | Isacaza: Protection of information bill in current state would have a negative impact on public protector and others in ethics space #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 09:48 | Isacaza: RT @gradidgec: #TLC2012 Adv T Madonsela: ‘the most common challenge I come across is abuse of power’ |
| 2012/03/13 09:50 | Isacaza: Quietly spoken, but thoughtful, confident and powerful. Our public protector. Adv Thulisile Madonsela #tlc2012 Great choice for keynote. |
| 2012/03/13 10:07 | Michael from Vodacom up on stage
Isacaza: By 2020 there will be no shortage of talent in South Africa, problem will be employability. Shortage in developed world #tlc2012 #dhl |
| 2012/03/13 10:20 | Isacaza: Mobility is creating challenges for organisations instead of solving them #tlc2012 #vodacom |
| 2012/03/13 10:21 | jjza: RT @MarkJLamberti: Excellent meeting with Minister Manuel & others. What have you done to understand & respond to the work of the Nation … |
| 2012/03/13 10:24 | Isacaza: In Tanzania Malaria has almost been eradicated through use of SMS technology to identify and contain outbreaks #tlc2012 #vodacom |
| 2012/03/13 10:29 | Isacaza: RT @STNxumalo: Abuse of power is as bad as the waste thereof: You’re in a powerful position, but you do nothing! -Michael Allschwang # … |
| 2012/03/13 10:31 | Isacaza: Leadership without title is the most powerful. Leave titles behind. #vodacom #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 10:31 | jjza: RT @khanyisile: The five bases of power: position, reward, skill, knowledge and relationship power (trust, respect from other people etc … |
| 2012/03/13 10:34 | jjza: RT @NeilBierbaum: Vodacom presentation #TLC2012 about power. Power over others is implied; power over oneself is missing. Self-awareness … |
| 2012/03/13 10:36 | Isacaza: Execution with excellence sets you apart from others #vodacom #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 10:40 | jjza: Nobuzwe Mangcu from #mercedes up on stage talking about our future #tlc2012 without doing things together there is no future |
| 2012/03/13 11:53
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Sakie Macozoma takes to the stage
Isacaza: What will tomorrow’s leaders inherit from today’s leaders? #sustainable leadership #tlc2012 Sakie Macozoma, Chairman Liberty Group |
| 2012/03/13 11:54 | jjza: RT @JeremyK_za: #tlc2012. Great speakers >> Agreed |
| 2012/03/13 11:57 | Isacaza: Should we be measuring Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product? #tlc2012 #macozoma |
| 2012/03/13 11:59 | Isacaza: Largest population of retirees ever, depending on heavily indebited governments #europe #tlc2012 Europe will be in the doldrums for a while |
| 2012/03/13 12:03 | jjza: Do we have political leaders who understand the importance of funding of research ? #tlc2012 we need sustainable technologies |
| 2012/03/13 12:04 | jjza: RT @egoligal: Wow! Saki talking about #cradle2cradle design & #biomimicry as the way of the future! #Yes – taking direction from #Mo … |
| 2012/03/13 12:08 | Simone Zanetti takes to the stage
Isacaza: Is training killing knowledge? #tlc2012 the future of people’s performance |
| 2012/03/13 12:13 | jjza: @sikimgabadeli great, please share when you get the link. |
| 2012/03/13 12:19 | jjza: Split between structured and unstructured learning? Average 80% unstructured. Information is changing rapidly. #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:21 | jjza: We need to be learning faster, and in more unstructured ways. Average company in SA spends R30000/employee per year #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:23 | jjza: RT @egoligal: Forcefeeding information to employees a waste of time! Data shifting & increasing so rapidly that info based training … |
| 2012/03/13 12:24 | jjza: Take away artificial ways of doing business and try to let them work in a way that brings out the best in people. #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:25 | jjza: RT @KMathelela: There is more information in a newspaper 2day than wat a middle-aged man wud learn in his entire life #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:26 | jjza: Less than 15% of what people are trained on is retained. #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:28 | Isacaza: The more you train the less people remember, and they won’t remember if what they remember is correct. Future is instant knowledge #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:30 | jjza: Natural language social knowledge systems the way of enhancing productivity in the future? #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:31 | jjza: RT @msalili: Train people how to FIND the correct info, rather than REMEMBER the correct info. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:34 | jjza: Self learning predictive knowledge tools provide instant knowledge. Not just a nice theory. Works for Standard Bank. #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:35 | jjza: RT @msalili: Eish, opening these bloody water bottles is a mission. Fire the supplier! #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:45 | jjza: RT @taraturk1: @KMathelela: Simone Zanetti, awesome speaker #TLC2012 > agree! >> most passionate of the day so far |
| 2012/03/13 12:47 | jjza: Think big and bold, but don’t lose sight of the problem and solution. Embrace partnerships. Don’t be afraid to fail. #tlc2012 |
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2012/03/13 12:49 |
Thebe Ikalafeng takes to the stage jjza: People are brands and can be branded. In 1997 Fortune said the only differentiator in the 21st century will be branding #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 12:51 | Isacaza: A brand is not what you say, it’s what others say #tlc2012 A brand is a storehouse of trust. |
| 2012/03/13 12:51 | jjza: A brand is not what you say, it’s what others say #tlc2012 A brand is a storehouse of trust. |
| 2012/03/13 12:56 | jjza: Great brands are : focused, distinctive, emotionally connected, evolve, build their country #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:00 | jjza: Age of mass individualisation. Innervation. What makes you distinctive? What is your brand? #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:02 | jjza: Run your career like a business. You are the CEO of You Inc. If you can’t triumph with talent, triumph with effort #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:05 | jjza: Understand your context. Self examination. Listen to the gossip. When people talk about you it is an opportunity to reflect. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:08 | jjza: Clarity. Clarify who you are, position yourself, create a vision of where you headed. What is the thing you are willing to die for? #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:15 | jjza: You don’t want to merely be the best of the best, you want to be the only one who does what you do. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:16 | jjza: Competence. You need some skills. The only real security is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:18 | jjza: Cover. Package your thing. 55% of conclusions people make are visual. 38% vocal. 7% content. Packaging is everything. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:20 | jjza: Community. If the house is on fire, forget the china, silver, wedding gifts. Grab the Rolodex. Contacts, access. The right people? #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:21 | jjza: Who is in your network? Who do you need to fire? Fire those who diminish your brand. Six steps of separation. You know somebody. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:23 | jjza: Constancy. Create presence. Be out there. Get the brand out there. Define yourself, don’t let others do it. Must be authentic. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:25 | jjza: Congruence. The most important. Personal branding is a way of life. Not a word. A promise that gets fulfilled every day. 24×7. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:26 | jjza: There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from what we do. Brand inside equals brand inside. Authentic #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:28 | jjza: Personal value proposition resonate with Customer value proposition and Employer value proposition. Work together, no “other side” #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:30 | jjza: Performance is impacted if you are not true to yourself. Work life alignment, not balance. Cannot be a fake. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:31 | jjza: It takes 20 years to build a reputation and just 5 to destroy it. Pursue a vision of excellence whatever you do, work or play. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:32 | jjza: Commercialise. How do you make money off the brand? Know which companies to go to and grow with. |
| 2012/03/13 13:35 | jjza: Chutzpah. We have all been rejected. How you react is what makes or breaks you. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:37 | jjza: Closure. Everything comes to an end. Have you lived your brand at the end of your day? How will you be remembered? #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:38 | jjza: Fix your programme before it happens. All you leave behind is your name. Protect it. Did you do what you needed to? Others agree #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:40 | jjza: Nobody should ever have to retire from what they love. You can’t retire from breathing. Do your thing out there. Keep doing it. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 13:43 | jjza: @thebelkalafeng Amazing, introspective, inspirational presentation. This is leadership, something for all of us to think about. 10q #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 14:29 | jjza: @AkiKalliatakis a pity that so many miss out on the “giving them what they want” part of that. |
| 2012/03/13 14:33 | Afternoon breakaway session : Transport and Logistics
jjza: Transportation and logistics breakaway session about to begin at #TLC2012. Very few people in the venue yet. Been great convention so far. |
| 2012/03/13 14:46 | Isacaza: RT @sikimgabadeli: Saki’s speech will be posted on website http://t.co/E5TWxFoe #TLC2012 >> great, thanks |
| 2012/03/13 14:55 | jjza: @SeanReuben72 you should have been at #TLC2012 Been some really great presentations here. Diarise for next year. |
| 2012/03/13 14:56 | jjza: @fjlandman please keep the tweets coming, hard to choose between the sessions. |
| 2012/03/13 14:59 | jjza: The debate is not whether roads are good for the country, we need them throughout the country. Tolling is a funding issue. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:01 | jjza: More economists disagree with SANRAL studies than agree with them. There are cheaper and more equitable ways to fund roads. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:02 | jjza: >50% of tolls collected will be spent on collection. Fuel levy be a far more cost effective way to collect the money #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:03 | jjza: Shortage of skills and cost of employment too high because of labour legislation encourages labour broking and off shoring #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:06 | jjza: Walmart could use SA as gateway into Africa but uncompetitive revenue env means more likely go direct. Opp lost with no free ports. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:07 | jjza: The government via rail will be a competitor to road freight. They need to improve efficiencies to compete with gov. Need be fair. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:08 | jjza: Planting bamboo on unused land instead of buying carbon credits. #innovation #green #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:14 | jjza: Don’t expect government policy to be proactive. It can take five years from recognition of gap to passing of legislation. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:14 | jjza: Disconnect between levels of government, national provincial and local all implementing different things #transport #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:16 | jjza: Taking shots at Transnet, turnaround strategy being called perpetual turnaround strategy. #transport #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:17 | jjza: Lack of consultation between government and industry players, lack of looking at other governments, leaves SA trailing #transport #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:19 | jjza: Entities like BUSA should be engaging more with government to give view of private sector to government. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:20 | jjza: Singapore being highlighted as model of efficiency and case study of how things could be done. Service delivery excellence. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:22 | jjza: No sense to carry coal or manganese by road. Would destroy roads. Rail must operate more efficiently for low value/ton commodities #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:24 | jjza: We need slow speed freight rail, not high speed passenger lines. Road infrastructure and ports must improve. Heavy goods off roads. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:26 | jjza: China has built effective rail and port network in less than 30 years, SA gov must invest in right places. SA can lose in Africa. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:27 | jjza: @egoligal nobody here disagrees even the road freight crowd. They fill a gap where no railways and recognise not optimal #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:29 | jjza: Whilst we bicker over immaterial items we fall behind. Give parastatals 3 years to get fixed or privatise them. #transport #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:30 | jjza: South Africa is less efficient than all our trading partners when it comes to trade. We are the weakest link. #worldbank #transport #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:31 | jjza: Sort out road vs rail and carbon emissions are sorted for next 10 years. Rail went to road because of inefficiencies. #tlc2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:32 | jjza: 30% of the value of a car made in SA is made of transport costs. This is way too high globally. High cost low efficiencies. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:35 | jjza: Take politicians out of Transnet and put back the technical people and we have potential to get rail back to number 3 in the world #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:36 | jjza: @leenelson as a Transnet employee feeling a bit battered here |
| 2012/03/13 15:38 | jjza: SA companies have recognised opportunities to trade with other African countries and force out previous colonial masters #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:38 | jjza: @leenelson great event and branding for you guys. |
| 2012/03/13 15:40 | jjza: SA should take the lead in opening up trade in Africa. No visas required in Europe yet need lots in Africa. Potential to sort out. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:43 | Isacaza: SA needs to engage with neighbours and create framework more conducive for regional trade. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:47 | jjza: Young black talent is a commodity going to the highest bidder. DHL is trying to get young individuals who associate with the brand #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:48 | Isacaza: RT @ThebeIkalafeng: RT @RSAPatriot: #TLC2012 @ThebeIkalafeng absolutely on fire! >> the further you spread your message the better off SA is |
| 2012/03/13 15:50 | jjza: SA arrogant in dealing with Africa. We need to provide a value proposition not assume Africa will deal with us because we African. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 15:52 | jjza: My Twitter coverage of #TLC2012 will end soon. iPad battery dying shortly. It’s been most interesting. Thanks to the organisers. |
| 2012/03/13 16:00 | jjza: There needs to be a marrying of minds between Government and Industry to attract the right skills into tertiary education. #TLC2012 |
| 2012/03/13 16:03 | jjza: SMEs and business is more agile than government, need less government and more private business. Need SMEs to thrive. #TLC2012 |
| Battery finally died, thanks again to the organisers for inviting @ISACAZA to attend the convention. |
I will add links to some of the presentations at a later stage (when the organisers put them up). Check back then, just want to get this up for now.
Respect for the CPA, kudos Cape Union Mart pavilion
Posted on March 04, 2012I have had a TomTom Go Live 1000 for the last 3 months or so, and it has worked really well. Whenever I am driving around Johannesburg I am most grateful for the ability to see what is going on in the traffic and have the GPS direct me around problems, saving me time and aggravation.
In the last week the device has started giving problems. It won’t charge properly and keeps restarting (every 5 to 15 minutes) which is a real pain when it is directing you on a route you don’t know. Further, with the lack of charge it wouldn’t connect to the cell network so there were no traffic updates, making the device rather useless.
I had bought the device at Cape Union Mart at Canal Walk in Cape Town. The Pavilion branch in Westville, Durban is closest to my house so I went there this morning to try to sort out the problem. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) makes it quite clear, faulty in the first six months the consumer gets the choice of Refund, Replacement or Repair. That’s the theory anyhow, in practice it seems to seldom work out that way.
I went into the store, explained the problem and the guy behind the counter was helpful to a point. He first implied that the “top of the range” device had a common fault and lots of people were having the same problem, and that TomTom had withdrawn it and were replacing it with a new model, cold comfort. He then explained the process of getting it replaced, which involved phoning TomTom (they aren’t open on weekends), getting a reference number, then coming back to the store, waiting for a replacement etc. It sounded like a long drawn out process and wasn’t going to work well for me given my travels and work schedule. He tried to call a branch in Jhb to set it up so I could do the swap there, but didn’t have a lot of luck with getting assurances the process would be smooth and work.
At this point I reminded him of my CPA rights and requested a refund as I could then just go buy another device elsewhere and bypass all of this problem (as well as extend my warranty by another 3 months). He took this well, and then offered to swap it with (a new one) they had in the back of the store somewhere. I agreed and left a few minutes later with the new device. Why he didn’t offer this when we first started the process I don’t know, but I was still happy with the outcome.
Thanks to Cape Union Mart for respecting the CPA, even if you did need a little coaxing and reminding. Don’t forget your rights, you can have a successful outcome to other painful situations if you just remind the service providers of your rights.
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