First sponsor is in: Tracks4Africa

One of the biggest concerns with Jacobus' Footsteps to Good Hope, is his safety. Far-flung destinations and intermittent cellphone reception add up to worries we can have as support team and supporters. And this is where Tracks4Africa stepped in: they are sponsoring a tracking device for the hike!

Thanks to a clever and easy-to-use tracking device, we can know exactly where Jacobus is, without any hassles. We don’t even have to worry about cellphone reception letting us down when we least expect it. Tracks4Africa (T4A) has teamed up with tracking company AfricanStuff to transform our Footsteps to Good Hope into a live-feed experience for the curious and concerned.

How does it all work? Johann Groenewald, co-founder of T4A, explains it all, “We give you a satellite tracking device to carry with you. The device is powered by AA batteries that will last up to six weeks. Every 10 minutes the device will send your position as a GPS coordinate to our servers via a satellite connection. This means that it will work even where no mobile reception is available.”

We will be issued with a link to a website that maps Jacobus' trip and clearly indicates his last known location. All we have to do, is share the link with everybody who is interested, and Bob’s your uncle.

“AfricanStuff provides the service and T4A integrates with their servers so your data can come straight to T4A and we can then display it on a web map,” says Johann.

Any other technical requirements? Nope! "The device is very robust and basic. You receive it via courier and you switch it on. For this you need a small screwdriver, but we supply that as well," says Johann.

Thanks so much, Tracks4Africa! This will certainly be one of the most important items in Jacobus' backpack!

For more info on T4A, visit their website: https://blog.tracks4africa.co.za/2017/06/