Reports of an attempted kidnap of a form one pupil at a top Harare School are worrisome. So a form one pupil can be kidnapped at school? Now this is scary and we thank the Almighty that the pupil managed foil the kidnap and reported the case to school authorities. The school has since tightened security controls and we share with you the story because this can  happen at your own school. We have decided to tackle an important area which many businesses take for granted-Risk Management.

We start by asking ourselves what can go wrong at a school? What are the greatest risks that can affect a school?
1. Kidnapping or pupils going missing
2. Sexual Abuse.
4. Injury to pupils
5. Disease Outbreaks
6. Disastrous pass rates

The list is long and every school must always ensure that they monitor risks . It is a fast changing world and especially and the availability of social media accelerates the rate of change and in the process the nature of risks are fast changing as well. A number of our members operate schools and they need to be fully aware of risks affecting them and have effective risk management systems in place. Its needs to be noted that you cannot eliminate risks…rather you can only reduce them or transfer them and not completely reduce them to zero.

How the attempted kidnap events unfolded 

An identified man goes to the school and immediately identifies a form one pupil. He tells her that he had been send by her dad to collect her from school. He mentions the name of the kid and also the dad’s name.

The kid confused, asks what has happened to her dad? The man says he is running late and has overtime issues to deal with. The pupil further asks about her mum and the man replies that her mum has gone out of town.

Still confused, the kid probes further and asks the man where her dad works? The man does not answer convincingly and upon realizing this, the kid tells the man that she is going to report him to the school security.

The unidentified man then dashes out of the school yard and disappears into thin air. Later on it turns out that this was an attempted kidnap…the father of the pupil had not send anyone to collect his child.

Implication

1.This can happen to your own kid-sensitize your kid about this danger.

2. What if the kidnapper was a relative? Now that scary because the kid could easily have trusted the relative and vanish without trace.

3. How did the alleged kidnapper get to know about the name of the kid? Are you sharing more than necessary information about your kids on Social Media? Posting photos of your kids and their names on your Facebook Profiles and Whatsapp’s? You may need to revise this, not everyone lurking on the Internet has good intentions.

4. Schools should integrate risk management in their operations. Effective risk management means involving all stakeholders from pupils, parents or guardians and relevant ministry officials. They should come up with a risk strategy of how they will manage, monitor and take corrective action. This is an ongoing process as risks are forever changing.

5. Do schools have sufficient personnel for risk management? Probably not as most schools employ low level bursars with little experience on risk management. A look at most school bursar positions adverts will show that they need someone with a Diploma or first degree in Accounting to manage school finances…..these bursars concentrate their business on transactional processing and reporting and rarely do they opportunities to implement strategic risk management issues. Risk management is therefore left to school heads without training or experience on risk management.

Recommendation and Conclusion.

Take risk management seriously at schools, a number of things can go wrong and the worst that can happen is loss of a pupil within school premises. The school is liable, parents are liable, the ministry is liable…everyone is liable.

Recruit competent School Development Associations. Check the qualifications and experience of the bursar.Is he or she a qualified accountant? What is his or her experience on auditing and risk management?

Schools want to cut on costs and employ bursars who do not demand a lot of money. A cost cutting measure that can cost the school dearly.

Does your school have a risk management in place? Have you seen it? Or even a basic risk register? Does it include or all risks? Were you involved in the crafting of the strategy? Did they ask for your input or did you volunteer to offer input?

Its scary isnt it? The good thing is that you have seen this ZBIN write up, kindly share and also take corrective action. This applies to the pre-school where you send your kid, applies to primary schools and what is shocking is that high schools are not spared.

Take corrective action and help save pupils at schools. This story features in our book on investment opportunities for Zimbabweans under investment in schools.

One of the must have skills in 2018 for every entrepreneur is Digital Marketing. Digital marketing expands your market outreach and thereby creating endless opportunities.We therefore urge all of our members and followers to embrace Digital Marketing so that you can sell goods and products to any part of South Africa and beyond. When we conducted carpet rugs making in Durban, we were pleasantly surprised to hear of entrepreneurs selling arts and crafts to overseas clients. This is how it should be-Africans should sell their products and services across the oceans!

Below we feature some of the top business ideas and Opportunities for South Africans and this comes with credit to mytopbusinessideas.

Being a rapidly growing country, the demand for land, houses and other facilities by individuals and businesses is booming. And this makes the real estate sector one of the most lucrative aspects of the South African economy. If you have little capital, you can start dealing in low cost land and housing units. And if your capital is on the high side, you can invest in large expanses of land as well as housing estates.

2. Clothing and textiles

South Africa’s clothing and textile industry is another very lucrative sector. The demand for South Africa-made clothing and textile products is high not only in South Africa, but also in neighboring countries. So, if you have what it takes to break into the textile market, then you can make lots of profit in the long term.

Although there are quite a number of processed food manufacturers in South Africa, the huge demands are still yet to be met. So, there is enough room for new investors in the food processing industry. You have a wide range of products to choose from; fruits and vegetables, juices, animal products, and so on.

4. Agriculture

South Africa has a wide expanse of land that can be utilized for agriculture. With huge demand for agricultural products and adequate workforce, new investors can easily start a business in the agriculture sector. Depending on your capital, you can start on a small scale or on a large scale. With a low capital, you can cultivate selected crops on a small piece of land or rear animals such as fishes or poultry. But if you have larger capital, you can cultivate a wide range of crops and rear animals as well.

5. E-commerce

South Africans are now feeling more comfortable with buying their needed products and services online. So, online retail stores in South Africa are now enjoying more patronage. And chances are you will make lots of profit by starting an online retail business. Even if you are on a low budget, you can start with just one product category and expand from there.

6. Foreign cuisine

So, there is huge profit potential in a restaurant business that offers various foreign cuisines such as Italian delicacies, Chinese delicacies, American delicacies, and so on. In addition, you can still offer local delicacies to cater to South Africans as well.

7. Online marketing

Many South African businesses are trying to establish and improve their online visibility as a way of attracting customers through the internet. In fact, businesses are setting aside a sizeable fraction of their marketing budget for online marketing alone.

This creates huge opportunities for online marketing experts such as SEO consultants, website designers, copywriters, and social media managers. If you have a good background in any aspect of online marketing, you can start a business and make money from your skills and expertise.

8. Freelance writing

In order to cut cost, many individuals and businesses in developed countries like the US and the UK now hire freelance writers from other countries. But South Africa tops the list of their preferred countries because the country is widely regarded as a native English-speaking country.

So, if you have good writing skills, you can make a lot of money by working as a freelance writer for clients from all over the world. Writing assignments you will handle include blog post writing, article writing, press release writing, proposal writing, newsletter writing, copywriting, and so on.

9. Technology products

South Africa is one of Africa’s largest markets for technology products such as PCs, smartphones, and tablet computers. Since these devices are in huge demand in South Africa, new investors can make lots of profit by selling the latest products by global brands such as Apple, Samsung, Sony, and so on. In addition to selling technology products, you can sell their accessories as well. And if you have the expertise, you can render repair services, too.

10. Tourism

South Africa hosts thousands of visitors every year. These people come from various parts of the world to behold South Africa’s rich cultural heritage, beautiful sceneries, lush landscapes, and so on. A smart business move is to offer services that cater to tourists, such as working as a tourist guide.