Khomani Desert San - Northern Cape, South Africa

The San are the aboriginal people of South Africa. Their distinct hunter-gatherer culture stretches back over 20 000 years, and their genetic origins reach back over one million years. Recent research indicates that the San are the oldest genetic stock of contemporary humanity.


Why We Don’t Share Images and Registration Numbers of Suspects and/or Vehicles on SOS Groups

As a member of a number of SOS WhatsApp groups I see many people very angry at admins deleting images of suspects in the neighbourhood.

When it comes to journalists reporting, the basic rule is that a ‘suspect’ may only be identified once charged in a court of law i.e. after a decision to prosecute has been made or criminal proceedings have started. Something that our keyboard warriors think they can bypass in their entitlement.

Journalists have no special privileges above a member of the public so all are bound to follow Section 154 (2)(b) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 which stipulates that: “No person shall at any stage before the appearance of an accused in a court upon any charge referred to in section 153 (3) or at any stage after such appearance but before the accused has pleaded to the charge, publish in any manner whatever any information relating to the charge in question”.

Failing to do so may result in a hefty fine, 12 months’ imprisonment or a massive civil suit for defamation of character, should you post a picture of any “perceived criminal” on a social media platform and they are arrested and detained unlawfully.

Contravening the Criminal Procedure Act by identifying alleged perpetrators before they have pleaded is a criminal offence. Those found guilty can be either fined, or jailed for up to three years. If the person who has been wrongfully identified is under 18-years-old, the imprisonment could be five years.

All defence attorneys are aware that their clients images may have been shared on Social Media (Yes, WhatsApp is a social media) and often that will represent one tool in their belt as any suspected criminal can be acquitted by the court after arguing that his/her conviction was based on a prejudicial identity parade since his/her pictures were all over social media before the parade. A suspect is more likely to walk free from a criminal case if his or her identity has been publicised on social media platforms. This also applies to vehicle registration numbers as this may lead to cases of mistaken identity. The importance of following the identity parade procedures, as conducted by a senior police officer in line with the country’s criminal procedures, is essential for a successful prosecution.

Hands up if you have seen the following messages around suspects:

  • “Do we have a photo to identify him?”
  • “Just because something is law……. (Popi) does not mean that it is right. People need to protect themselves.”
  • “If I can get his details we can have him arrested.”
  • “How am I supposed to protect myself if I can’t see what I must be on guard against?”

Hands up if you have seen neighbours children erroneously identified as suspects with these devastating words:

  • “Two Young BMs acting suspiciously” attached to a grainy image taken over a wall and through the shrubbery by a nosy parker – who was wrong in his/her assumptions?

In addition Section 35 of the Constitution affords every citizen the right to a fair trial. The publication of a photo identifying an alleged perpetrator could thus render the trial unfair and it might result in the suspect being acquitted.

Leave the policing to the police and the law to the lawyers.

A good rule of thumb guideline is to do the following whenever you are dealing with a suspected criminal: Consult with the SAPS before publishing any identifying information/images/video on the web or any social media portal.

For those needing more guidelines as social media journalists they would be well advised to study this guideline: https://courtreporting.sanef.org.za/wp-content/uploads/SANEF-Court-Reporting-Manual-webversion-Feb-2022.pdf

More Reading:

If you still have a burning desire to publish images of a ‘suspect’ then BLUR out all identifying details. Take special note that identifying details will include logos on clothes, stickers on vehicles – anything that can be proven to be ‘almost unique’ to that person or vehicle. Photo: MyPR

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

What They Don’t Tell You When You Create an RSS Feed From a Google Alert

  • How to Create an RSS Feed from a Google Alert
  • Why Your RSS Reader May Fail to Read the Google RSS Alert You Created

How to Create a Google RSS Alert:

Should you want to eliminate all email notifications you receive from Google Alerts, you can set them up as an RSS feed and bundle them in one place.

In addition to e-mailing you the latest alert for your choden keyword, Google Alerts lets you send anything directly to a feed you already use. After you set up alerts as an RSS feed, you’ll no longer receive email notifications for that specific alert from Google.

If you have existing Google Alerts set up to send you email notifications, head over to your Alerts home page and click on the Pencil icon to edit its options.

If you haven’t already, you can set up a new Google Alert, click “Show Options” to get there instead.

Now, from the dropdown next to “Deliver To,” select “RSS Feed” and then click the “Update Alert” button.

After an alert has been converted into an RSS feed link, you’ll see an RSS icon next to it under the “My Alerts” section. An RSS feed icon will appear next to the alert you created.

Right-click the icon and then select “Copy Link Address” to copy the RSS feed URL to the clipboard.

Finally, head over to whichever RSS feed reader/aggregator you use, paste the URL, and add your Google RSS Alert to your feed. We use Feedzy for our showcasae.

Adding Google Alerts to an RSS feed is an easy way to view customized alerts generated by Google from a source you already use to receive up to date news and content. This is the best way to utilize Alerts without clogging up your email’s inbox.

What the Guides DON’T Tell You:

Once you have set up and pasted your RSS feed link into your favourite RSS News Reader or News Aggregator DO NOT go back and delete the RSS Feed link you created in your Google Alerts account.

Doing so will render the feed link invalid and you will have to set up your RSS hyperlinks all over again.

Have a look at how we used Google Alerts RSS and RSS from other sites to create news specific pages here:

Creating a Google RSS Alert. Photo: MyZA

Finding the Google RSS Alert Hyperlink

Video: What They Don’t Tell You When You Create an RSS Feed from a Google Alert

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on What They Don’t Tell You When You Create an RSS Feed from a Google Alert here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyZAco/

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

Lessons From Prepaid Water Meter UIU Sales – Things That People Don’t Tell You About Running And Maintaining An Online Store

With the Christmas season upon us and one full year of full time running of our Straton Prepaid online store specialising in prepaid water and electricity meters we have realised that having an online store is something that can be very demanding at certain times of the year.

Black Prepaid Water Meter UIU (keypad) With Replaceable Batteries

One of the items in our Straton Prepaid Online Store is a User Keypad Interface (UIU or Keypad) with REPLACEABLE Batteries for the popular South African manufactured range of Amanzi Meters. These meters are installed in their thousands in big cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg and their original ‘white’ keypads are now coming to their end of life.

Of course, knowledge is power and savvy consumers are now replacing the original keypads (which had NO user replaceable batteries) with our ‘Black UIU’s’ WITH replaceable batteries.

As Straton Electrical has, since 1966, been a traditional bricks and mortar company involved in the construction industry our annual holidays are taken en masse by employees at this time of the year.

BUT, the internet does not sleep and the orders do not stop coming in so just temporarily we have moved the order processing and shipping to the home of one of our trustees to ensure continuity of supply.

SO, top of our advice to anyone running an online store is that fact that your store is never closed and you will have to make sure that supply is continuous – even in the holidays!

Running and maintaining an online store can be a rewarding venture, but there are also other aspects that are often overlooked.

Here are some things that people don’t often talk about when it comes to managing an e-commerce business:

Constant Marketing and Promotion

Running an online store requires continuous marketing and promotion efforts to attract and retain customers. This involves social media marketing, email campaigns, influencer partnerships, and more.

Customer Service Demands

Providing exceptional customer service is crucial, and it can be more demanding than expected. Responding to inquiries, handling returns and exchanges, and managing customer feedback are all time-consuming tasks.

Inventory Management Challenges

Balancing inventory levels to meet demand without overstocking or running out of popular items can be a complex task. Inventory management software and accurate forecasting are essential.

Technical Maintenance

Regular website maintenance, software updates, and cybersecurity measures are vital for a smooth operation. This often requires technical knowledge or the assistance of a web developer.

Payment Processing Fees

Many people underestimate the impact of payment processing fees on their profit margins. Understanding the various fees associated with different payment methods is important for financial planning.

Shipping Logistics

Managing shipping logistics, including choosing the right carriers, calculating accurate shipping costs, and handling international shipments, can be a significant challenge.

Legal and Compliance Considerations

Online stores need to adhere to various laws and regulations, such as consumer protection, data privacy, and e-commerce regulations. Staying compliant requires ongoing attention.

Competition and Market Saturation

The online marketplace is highly competitive, and standing out among numerous competitors can be tough. Finding a unique selling proposition and continually innovating is essential.

Seasonal Fluctuations

Online sales can be subject to seasonal fluctuations, which may require adjusting marketing strategies, inventory levels, and overall business operations.

Financial Management

Managing cash flow, budgeting for marketing and operational expenses, and understanding profit margins are all critical aspects that require attention and expertise.

By considering these often-overlooked aspects of running an online store, entrepreneurs can better prepare themselves for the challenges and opportunities that come with e-commerce.

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on Lessons From Prepaid Water Meter UIU Sales – Things That People Don’t Tell You About Running And Maintaining An Online Store here: https://straton.co.za/pre-paid/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StratonElectrical/

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

Don’t Be Distracted by the Hyena With A Giraffe Leg

  • Piwigo – Ctrl Refresh Images Don’t Load Problem Solved
  • How Did We Get From’ “My Damn Pages Don’t Load” to “Look-  A Hyena With A Giraffe Leg”?

One of the most recommended open source Photo Imaging Content Management Systems is Piwigo.

Just what does a Hyena have to do with Piwigo? Apparently quite a lot! Hyena Carrying Giraffe Leg in Addo Elephant National Park. Photo: Alan Straton

On my Piwigo installation at Straton.org.za I kept experiencing a minor niggle which became a major niggle the more I hit Cmd R (Ctrl F5 for the peasants) to force the loading of images and thumbnails in my browser after uploading images to the Piwigo installation.

Anyway using Google to find a solution to “Piwigo: my images not loading” eventually led me to the solution which is all around SSL, Port 80 and Port 443. It would appear that this is a legacy issue from the days when one could choose to either use http or the more secure https protocol. A number of solutions were proposed in the Github forums.

The most elegant solution for me was proposed by user Pierrick Le Gall and involved the following steps:

  1. Open your Piwigi Public_html folder on your server
  2. Find the Include folder and open it
  3. Open the functions_url.inc.php file
  4. Find lines 64 to 72 and comment each one out (adding // before each line does so)
  5. Save
  6. Check

To re-iterate:

Find these lines in functions_url.inc.php:

if ( (!$ is_https && $ _SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’] != 80)
||($ is_https && $ _SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’] != 443))
{
$ url_port = ‘:’.$ _SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’];
if (strrchr($ url, ‘:’) != $ url_port)
{
$ url .= $ url_port;
}
}

Comment the above lines out like so:

// if ( (!$ is_https && $ _SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’] != 80)
// ||($ is_https && $ _SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’] != 443))
// {
// $ url_port = ‘:’.$ _SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’];
// if (strrchr($ url, ‘:’) != $ url_port)
// {
// $ url .= $ url_port;
// }
// }

You could also delete the lines – I prefer to comment out just in case I want to undo/change at a later stage after any updates.

See video below for visual representation of the process.

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on Don’t Be Distracted by the Hyena With A Giraffe Leg here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPE

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

RSS MyPR

RSS MyZA