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26/07

Celebrating a slice of good news

by Giggs

morne

On 20 July 2011 Morne du Toit and his family celebrated a moment to cherish as his doctor informed him that after 4 months of chemotherapy there were no traces of Hodgkin’s lymphoma remaining in his system.

To celebrate with his MiX family Morne carved his way through an enormous cake. The sugar rush was almost as exhilarating as hearing the good news and we are all ecstatic for Morne who has been a real role model throughout his recovery period. Never has he uttered a complaint nor become despondent, keeping his focus on what mattered most – making sure he came through well for his, and his families sake.

Our message to Morne is this: Life is like the hair on top of your head; sometimes short, sometimes long. Glad we can say in your case there is no correlation to your own hair. ☺

Congratulations and keep fighting.

Published on July 26th, 2011 in General, People | No Comments »

15/07

Dazzling MiX wine enthusiasts

by Giggs

For a few short but magical hours the Upper Eastside Hotel in Woodstock was the center of the wine universe as the 2011 Nederburg Auction Public Tastings dazzled wine lovers with 19 exclusive and fine wines to taste.

Wine tasting

Showing their appreciation for fine wines, Cedric, Sabine, Gavin and Christina at the Nederburg Auction Public Tastings.

With MiX Stellenbosch offices situated in the heart of the Winelands it is no surprise that MiX was well represented at this memorable occasion. Gavin Harvett, Christina Harvett, Sabine Klisch and Cedric Jones were there to enjoy an evening of indulgence with some of the best wines the local wine industry has to offer.

Guests made their way through the tasting schedule in style as they were treated to wines representing various varietals, vineyards and cultivars. The tasting was led by Cape Wine Master Bennie Howard and guests got the opportunity to taste, amongst others, a 2004 Syrah from Marcel de Reuck, an elegant 2005 Merlot from De Grendel, Le Bonheur’s acclaimed Prima 2001, and a 2005 Nederburg Private Bin Eminence, the beautiful dessert wine produced by 2011’s Platter’s SA Wine Guide Winery of the Year.

In true fashion MiX’ers set high standards in all areas and of course our very own wine experts we asked some questions.

See Gavin and Cedric being interviewed below.

Published on July 15th, 2011 in General, People | No Comments »

7/07

Time to Shine

by Leanne Jory

MiX Telematics is proud to launch our new Calendar Competition for 2012. The competition, which we run each year, is open to all employees and MiX Telematics dealers and appeals to our network’s budding photographers!

Calendar competitionEach participant can submit up to 20 high quality photos and the winning entries are then published in the MiX Telematics Calendar for the year to come.

To make it more engaging, we select a theme that allows for the perfect combination between artistic freedom and impressive entries. The theme for this year’s competition is simply, COLOUR! It is no mystery that we are all affected by colour. In China, red is the colour of happiness, white the colour of autumn. Yellow is associated with happiness and fun, while brown offers a warm reminder of the earth beneath our feet. Our world speaks to us in colour and we speak back through a spectrum of interpretations and applications.

We’re excited to co-create a World of Colour with our employees and dealers and plan on announcing the winners sometime in September. The closing date is 31 August 2011.

  • For employees and dealers who wish to participate and upload an image/s, please register on www.mixcalendar.com
  • Note: photo entries can be publicly viewed on the Calendar website irrespective of whether you register or not.
  • Join in the fun by clicking the famous ‘Like’ button to show your support for your favourite entries!
Published on July 7th, 2011 in General | No Comments »

24/06

Testing & Quality Assurance

by Charlene

Being passionate about testing and quality in the development process, I spend a lot of time with our QA Manager and have learned so much in the last 6 months.  In any agile world, continuous introspection and improvement is a key aspect that ensures quality is maintained as we learn where we went wrong and how to do better.

This document aims directly at the testers in the team but also important to the developers as well.  Honest answers to these questions on a regular basis will give you an idea of how you are improving.
Read more..
Published on June 24th, 2011 in General, Scrum, Software development | No Comments »

23/05

Redsockfriday Unogwaja athletes push on

by Leanne Jory

As the Unogwaja athletes, John McInroy, Paul Blake, WP van Zyl, and Lourens van Zyl push on towards Pietermaritzburg, they report back on their appreciation of the support that drives them forward, and the emotional journey of envisioning the impossible.

Watch the the report-back video below by the athletes themselves

Follow the team via Twitter (@redsockfriday) for regular updates on their progress along the route.

Published on May 23rd, 2011 in General | 1 Comment »

19/05

MiX technology tracking athletes embarking on the Toyota Redsockfriday Unogwaja 2011 Challenge

by Robyn

MiX Telematics has partnered with redsockfriday to raise awareness for, and in support of AmaBeadiBeadi, a group of official Comrades charities. MiX Telematics’ technology enables the public to track the progress of four determined athletes, in real-time, as they cycle from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg over the next ten days, in time to participate in the world’s greatest ultra-marathon, the Comrades.

“The cyclists, who aim to cover 1,722 kilometres in total, will cycle between a leading and trailing car throughout their journey. MiX Telematics’ tracking devices, fitted to both vehicles, enable the public to follow the cyclists on their journey by viewing the vehicles’ live positions on a map,” explains Catherine Lewis, Marketing Director of MiX Telematics (International). People who wish to follow the cyclists and support the Unogwaja 2011 Challenge can see the live positions by logging onto MiX Telematics’ X-Drive website or by downloading the MiX Mobile application onto their smartphone*.

The group of athletes aim to emulate the epic journey of Phil Masterson-Smith, the first man to accomplish this feat. He did so in 1933 and no one has since attempted to match Phil’s achievement. Phil was determined to finish the Comrades but could not afford a train ticket to Pietermaritzburg, so instead he cycled to the start line in time to take part in the race, finishing in 10th place. He was later named ‘Unogwaja’ or the hare in Zulu.

Redsockfriday came about when one of two close friends who had been living together overseas decided to return home to South Africa. The pair made a pact to wear red socks every Friday in honour of their brilliant experiences together and as a reminder to never give up on their dreams. The idea was inspired by an elderly man they came across who wore red socks every day of his life, in remembrance of a close friend he lost during World War I.

* Toyota Redsockfriday Unogwaja athletes can be tracked by logging onto MiX Telematics’ X-Drive Website, or by simply downloading MiX Mobile onto your smartphone.

To log into either application please use the following details:

Username: redsockfriday
Password: password
Published on May 19th, 2011 in General | No Comments »

14/04

MiX on ‘Going Green’

by Leanne Jory

Today we proudly announced that MiX Telematics is officially carbon neutral. We also launched the MiX Carbon Offset Initiative which offers an industry-first service to our global customer base, enabling them to calculate their fleet-related carbon emissions and offset their carbon footprint.

Maximus

Maximus the Ant

In Johannesburg, on April 1st, staff were introduced to the MiX ant mascot and helped in assigning him a name, while individuals’ and departments’ carbon footprints were rated to separate the environmental warriors.. from the rest!

Some offices are handing out indigenous trees as a gift that acts as a reminder that each of us can make a difference in creating a better, greener, cleaner world.

Chameleon

The chameleon found in one of the plants

Published on April 14th, 2011 in General | No Comments »

5/04

MiX unites Legends FC

by admin
From humble roots, the Legends team was born in January 2011. Four founding members, far from legends on the playing field, came together to create a soccer team filled with heart and passion started off by kicking a ball around after the Soccer World Cup wanting to mimic our heroes on the pitch.

Having a name was a big step in becoming a team and gaining an identity. However, when arranging social soccer games we looked nothing like a team with everyone wearing mismatched clothing. This did unfortunately affect our performance as a team with a bit of arguing on the field because of intercepted passes or not passing to the correct player, as your they weren’t visible on the field.

It was evident that we needed an intervention which would bring us closer together, boost morale and build the team spirit. We brainstormed and thought it would be a brilliant idea to get team kit and start feeling like a united and gain respect from our opponents.

When Ebrahim January said he would approach his work (MiX Telematics), it seemed like pie in the sky and we weren’t really awaiting on anything tangible. These words were long forgotten, when Ebrahim emailed us and said he had some good news. On arrival to training there was a huge grin on his face with a bag by his feet and revealed that we have received soccer shirts from his company. It reminded us of the goal Shabalala scored in the World Cup, such was the pride we felt.

Legends FC

A big thank you to MiX Telematics, not for saving the world but making ours.

Post by Legends FC

Published on April 5th, 2011 in General | 3 Comments »

15/03

Celebrity riders interview at the Cape Argus

by Robyn

MiX Telematics partnered with Sport24 and five celebrity riders to raise awareness at the Cape Argus for the Bobs for Good Foundation, a charity that provides quality South African made leather school shoes to impoverished children.

Leaderboard_Screenshot2Leaderboard_Screenshot

Bob Skinstad, Tank Lanning, Matthew Pearce and Marius Schoeman were tracked and traced throughout the race using MiX Telematics’ cell phone tracking technology so that fans and Twitter followers can track their progress during the race.

Watch the interviews with the Sport4Good celebrity riders below

Published on March 15th, 2011 in Events, General | 1 Comment »

14/03

MiX tracking at the Cape Argus

by Leanne Jory

Between the MiX riders, the celebs of the Sport4Good team, and family and friends our corporate tent was alive with Cape Argus festivity yesterday! Congratulations to everyone who completed the race successfully, and thank you to those MiX and Sport24 representatives who worked together to create a memorable occasion.

tentSport4Goodmix riders

Our mobile tracking system worked smoothly and without any glitches and the engagement of fans and Cape Argus followers was visible as our Twitter stream buzzed with comments and updates.

Gavin Lancaster was first in on the MiX side, completing the race in an impressive 3 hours and 9 minutes, while SuperSport’s Matthew Pearce was first across the finish line of the celeb riders – excited to have proven everyone wrong. Behind Matt followed Marius Schoeman, Bob Skinstad and then Tank Lanning.

Gavin L

Gavin was the first MiX cyclist to finish

Published on March 14th, 2011 in Events, General | No Comments »