Author Archives: Wesley

TollTrack for E-Toll iOS app

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Toll Track is a FREE mobile app that will help you track and log your toll costs automatically.
All you need to do is press ‘Start’ and let Toll Track do the tracking for you while you drive the route.Toll Track calculates the relevant discounts according to your presets and will build a monthly cost log for Bakwena, E-Toll and TRAC N4 gantries.

Toll Track uses your mobile phone’s built-in GPS receiver to track the gantries passed through
and calculates the relevant discounts applicable, to display and log the net payable amount.

Ideal for individuals who do a lot of business travelling, now you can track your toll expenses and incorporate it into your business billing structure.

www.tolltrack.co.za

Is a business management degree the right direction to become a CEO/MD for a company

I was asked this question today by a young man . [Is a business management degree the right direction to become a CEO/MD for a company?]

My Answer: NO!

Let’s look at the definition of a CEO according to Wikipedia

A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the highest-ranking corporate officer (executive) or administrator in charge of total management of an organization. An individual appointed as a CEO of a corporation, company, organization, or agency typically reports to the board of directors

Why I said No 

By definition a CEO is an administrator..

My advice

Be the One the CEO reports to! 

Aspire to Own Your Own Business. 

Entrepreneurship

BeYourOwnBoss

Then work your way backwards and see what you need to achieve the status. Learn the trade and Be Your Own Boss!

Reminds me of Douglas Kruger’s “Why are we so fanatically hung up on Jobs“

ORTAMBO Customer Experience – The Social Media Lesson

On my way back to my car on 16 January 2013 at ORTAMBO Airport this happened when paying for parking  to about 5 of us

ORTAMBO responded

Quick Response, they really want to help, I’m thinking, Yeah Right

This is getting serious now, they want to refund the R5

By then I had left the change and the building 

 

Three Weeks Later……

I land at ORTAMBO from one of my business trips and I check-in on FourSquare and send the check in to Twitter

And then this happens! 

 

Howz that for Customer Experience, Use of Social Media. Am still wondering how they remembered after three weeks

Where I stayed in Richards Bay – Feb 2013

How I get to Zululand

N2 to Zululand

N2 to Zululand

First of all when I travel to Richards Bay for business I fly to Durban’s King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) then drive approx 145km to Richards Bay. Why? To chop a long story short, the last plane back to JHB once ran out of fuel and we had to fly to JHB via King Shaka so as to refuel (3hr trip, it was supposed to be 1.5hrs), besides that propeller is something else :).

Lovely road but there is always traffic cops on the road. Especially the Mandeni area. There isn’t much traffic all the way although you lose the two lane system to one lane system as you get closer to Richards Bay. From a scenic perspective there isn’t much worth seeing. You don’t even see the sea all the way to Richards Bay although you will be driving along the coast. There are 3 toll gates costing you R8.00, R9.50 and R32.00 one way. R49.50 in total so you better have R100 for return trip.

Where I stayed February 2013

The Protea Hotel Waterfront! Lovely hotel, very quiet, no outside cars zooming past, no noise in the corridors. Don’t switch on the television and you will understand what I am talking about. This is the standard room. R1161 per night room only. Room only cost suits me fine cause I have a tendency of skipping breakfast. Yeah I know what you are saying. This is what my room looked like (thanks to the iPhone Panorama function)

Protea Hotel Richards Bay

The bed is very comfortable and I slept well the whole night. The furniture is great and they have a proper office chair with a desk (I felt  like I was back at the office!) *maybe even better than my office chair* Hope my boss doesn’t see this 🙂 Below pic shows the view from my window at sunrise

Sunrise at Protea Waterfront Richards Bay

What I ate

First night I had a 250g Sirloin with Giant Hand Cuts with pepper sauce and onion rings. Well done! Yes all my meat MUST be cremated! at least that’s what they say at the office. Dessert was some divine Banana Drama Waffles with hot caramel. YUMMY! I love bananas so yah.. the rest is history. Tip: Order room service they seem to put extra effort in the way the cooking is done and the way its delivered to your room (myView). Don’t judge! The fries make me fat.. at least I had the next meal with veggies.

The Sirloin

Next day I munched some Honey Mustard Chicken (grilled!) with mash and a creamy honey mustard. I kindly asked the chef not to add garlic and he said with pleasure! (How does that beat buffet) I tell you, I think room service gets special treatment.

The Problem with this venue

They are charging residents R30 per day for parking! Dude! It’s not even basement parking. Your car gets cooked by the weather outside in the open and you pay them accommodation fees, dinner, breakfast and parking! I’m sorry but that’s absurd, ridiculous!

The Traffic Officer!

Can you spot the speed trap in this 7 seconds video? Why so short, well there is this thing called VINE for smartphones where you post and share 6 second videos (post for another day)’ Check it out

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dI7o487N5w]

Would I stay there again?

*DrumRoll* Yes ofcourse! Why? It’s one of very few hotels where I actually sleep the whole night without working up 3 times because it’s not my bed. The list number of times I woke up at this hotel was ONCE. So Yes I will stay there anytime. I have had breakfast here once but I was not impressed. P/S you can have a bite with your legs in water 🙂 One of the hot days highlights

Till Next Post!

MyTravel Posts to be published!

Thanks to a Google+ Community called Travel South Africa. I have been invited to write blog articles for TWO websites about my travelling and photography as I travel across South Africa.. I am once again highly honoured!  Thanks to Neil Playdon of Where2stay-SouthAfrica and Rob Baker of South Africa Travel Online for the invitation! The two sites that will publish my travels are

1. http://www.southafrica.to/ 

SouthAfrica Online

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2. http://www.where2stay-southafrica.com/

Our website offers you a great choice of accommodation across South Africa including Guesthouses, Game Reserves, Hotels, Self-Catering and Bed & Breakfast, Backpacker, Campsite and Bush Lodge accommodation.

Matric Pass Rate A Disgrace :(

Click the link for full artile Matric Pass Rate A Disgrace

“I’m ashamed of South Africa. It’s an absolute disgrace that you can pass matric with a mark of 30 percent. [Education Minister Angie] Motshekga is making a giant mistake by boasting about the matric pass rate. It’s an absolute disgrace,” Jansen said, according to Beeld newspaper

Thank you Professor Jansen. University of the Free State chancellor Professor Jonathan Jansen has said it! This has been a pain of mine and as a father I am wondering where my kids will go to school.

  • What kind of future do we build with 30% pass.
  • What kind of brains do we develop with a pass mark of 30%.
  • What kind of capacity do we build with a pass rate of 30%
  • What type of leadership do we build with a pass mark of 30%
  • What kind of country has citizens with a 20% pass mark
  • How many of these Ministers have all, I mean ALL their kids somewhere in Europe, USA or Asia at some top school studying Cambridge?
  • Do they know how much talent there is in rural schools?
Professor Jonathan Jansen. Picture: Volksblad

Professor Jonathan Jansen. Picture: Volksblad

Where Two Rivers Meet

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW7j7hNpPCw]

Giant’s Castle is a mountain peak in the southern African Drakensberg in KwaZulu Natal. Giants Castle offers visitors to the regions hiking opportunities with panoramic views. The Nature Reserve offers secluded accommodation, bushman rock art with easy access for everyone and about the best base to start a Drakensberg hiking experience. The area is one of many of South Africa‘s adventure areas, and plays host to the Giants Challenge MTB marathon in April each year.

Lying at the southern end of the central Drakensberg Giant’s Castle, which gets its name from the outline of the peaks and escarpment that combine to resemble the profile of a sleeping giant, is essentially a grassy plateau that nestles among the deep valleys of this part of the Drakensberg. (Source Wikipedia)