Paper falls apart
Damp, heat, dust, insects, water and daily handling destroy files. Where there is no digital copy, the record is gone for good.
We turn paper records into a secure, interactive knowledge base.
We do three things. We provide advice on what an institution should digitise and what it will cost. We train young South Africans to do the work. And we run the job from the first box to the finished, searchable archive.
Boloka Boswa means preserve the inheritance.
The problem
Most South African records are still on paper.
That paper sits in storerooms that were never built to keep it. It gets worse every year, and it costs institutions money. Meanwhile young people in the same communities cannot find work.
Files cannot be found
A file that exists but cannot be located is as good as lost. Land records and old agreements are the hardest to find and the most expensive to lose.
Missing files cost money
A municipality cannot defend a land decision without the agreement. A school cannot confirm a learner's history without the register. An institution cannot answer a POPIA request for a file it cannot find.
Paper is a POPIA risk
POPIA applies to a filing room, not only to a computer. Most institutions have never checked who can walk into theirs, or what leaves it.
The problem, the three services, how a job runs, security and the youth pathway, on one printed page.
Download the infographicWhat we do
Three services. Take one, or take all three.
Start with an audit or a bounded pilot. Nobody knows the real size and condition of a collection until somebody counts it, and you should see our work on one box before you commit to a storeroom.
01 / ADVICE
The blueprint before a single page is scanned.
We plan the whole job first: what you hold, how it will be captured, what it will cost and who signs it off.
The physical audit
Count, inspect and grade
We count every item you hold and grade its condition, so fragile and damaged records get special handling.
The order of work
We set a clear sequence, starting with the records you cannot afford to lose.
Standards and equipment
The capture standard, in writing
Resolution, colour depth, file format and naming, set before scanning begins, so every page comes out the same.
What you need, and what it costs
The scanners, software, servers and storage for your volume of records, each with a price.
Governance and compliance
Records and POPIA policy
We draft both for your own legal sign-off, so the archive meets South African data protection law.
The file plan and the index
How files are named, sorted and found, and the retention rules, all approved by you before scanning starts.
The business case
A costed business case
Every finding in one document, with a transparent total cost for the whole project.
Run it yourself, if you prefer
We design the operating structure and workflow for your own team to follow.
What you receive
Audit report·capture standard·equipment list with costs·file plan and index·draft records and POPIA policy·costed business case
Everything in this section, on one printed page.
Download the infographic02 / TRAINING
We train the people who do the work.
Young South Africans aged 18 to 35, recruited near the job, from rural and previously disadvantaged communities.
Three tracks
TRACK 01
Records custodian
Handling records properly. How a file is created, kept, found, retained and lawfully destroyed. POPIA, ethics and chain of custody.
TRACK 02
Capture technician
Running the machines. Production scanners, damaged and bound material, OCR, indexing, and checking the work afterwards.
TRACK 03
Automation supervisor
Working with AI. Spotting what the software gets wrong, correcting it, and preparing records so a machine can read them.
How the programme runs
Every job is staffed by young people we recruit near the site and train ourselves.
We look for people in rural and peri-urban communities that were shut out of the digital economy, and we set targets for women and for people with disabilities.
- 01
Recruit
- 02
Train
- 03
Real work
- 04
Certify
- 05
A job or a business
- A monthly stipend for travel and food
- Gloves and masks for dusty and damaged files
- A site mentor for every group
- Accessible workstations where they are needed
One budget buys two things. Your records are safe, and a countable number of young people are trained, paid and certificated. Both can be reported.
Programme standards
Two weeks first
Nobody touches a record until they have done the induction: workplace conduct, communication, security and managing a stipend.
Your own custodians
We train at least two of your staff as Data Custodians. They decide what leaves the building and they hold access afterwards.
Designed against SAQA unit standards
Records management, data capture, and AI and automation. Formal certificates are issued with accredited training partners.
Everything in this section, on one printed page.
Download the infographic03 / How a job runs
From the first box to the first search.
Six steps. Someone is accountable at every handover, and you get a written record of each one.
- 01 /
We inspect
We open the boxes and record what is there, what condition it is in, and what is urgent.
- 02 /
We index
We agree how files will be named, sorted and graded for sensitivity, before anything is scanned.
- 03 /
We scan
Trained and vetted operators capture the pages on machines suited to the material, from loose files to bound volumes.
- 04 /
We store
On your servers, with an encrypted backup off site. Your originals are re-boxed and relabelled.
- 05 /
We check
A second team, not the one that scanned it, audits accuracy and completeness. Anything below standard is scanned again.
- 06 /
We hand over
Named staff get their logins, your own custodians are trained, and you get a closing report.
Documented chain of custody
Every box is listed and signed for at every handover, from collection to return.
Set up at your site
We can build a full scanning room on your premises and hand it over when the job is done.
Originals come back
Paper is never discarded. It is returned cleaned, re-boxed and relabelled, in its original order.
Everything in this section, on one printed page.
Download the infographicAI and insight
The machines read. People check.
Current scanning software does most of the reading. It turns a scanned page into text you can search, sorts documents by type, and pulls out names, dates and file numbers on its own. It reads a good deal of handwriting too, though handwriting is never as accurate as print.
A trained person checks and corrects the output before anything is signed off. That is what our third training track exists for. The software is fast. The person is accountable.
Machine output is checked by people- 01Full text search inside every page, not only the file name
- 02Automatic sorting of documents by type
- 03Automatic capture of names, dates, file numbers and reference numbers
- 04Handwriting recognition on older handwritten records, always checked by hand
- 05Automatic flags for pages that scanned badly, sit upside down, or are missing
- 06A trained person reviews and corrects the machine output before handover
- 07The tools can run on your own equipment where your rules require it
04 / Insight
What the archive can tell you.
Once the records are captured and indexed, the archive stops being storage and starts answering questions.
Staff ask a question in plain words. The software reads the digitised pages, finds the answer, and links every answer to the original scanned page so a person can check the work. Machine output is checked by people.
Search and insight
Ask in plain words
“Agreements on farm 12”
Staff ask the way they would ask a colleague, and find the file.
Counts and trends
“Claims by year and district”
Numbers nobody could get out of paper. How many, where, and whether it is rising.
Read it in your language
“Not sworn translations”
Records translated between South African languages so staff and communities can read them.
Management and compliance
Compliance flags
“Due dates and POPIA”
Records near a retention deadline, and records holding personal information under POPIA.
Gaps and contradictions
“Files 118 to 126 missing”
Breaks in a sequence, duplicates, and two records that disagree, flagged for a person to check.
Every answer cites its source
“A link to the original page”
Nothing is taken on trust. Anyone can open the scan the answer came from.
Scattered files become structured data.
Pulled out of loose documents, checked by a person, and ready to export.
Registers
Names, dates, reference numbers and outcomes assembled into a table you can sort and filter.
Timelines
Events reconstructed across many files, so a long matter reads as one sequence.
The same person, linked
One individual or property followed through files that spell the name differently.
Everything in this section, on one printed page.
Download the infographicKeeping your records safe
You keep control of your own records.
You are handing over the documents that prove who owns what and who decided what. Here is exactly how they are handled.
- 01Records are stored on local servers and backed up to encrypted cloud storage
- 02Access is by named login, granted to specific authorised personnel at the client institution
- 03POPIA compliance throughout, and compliance with customary law where traditional or community records are involved
- 04Physical security at every digitisation site
- 05Documented chain of custody from collection to return
- 06At least two Data Custodians trained inside the client institution, who decide what leaves the premises
- 07Physical files are returned in their original order, cleaned, re-boxed and relabelled. We never re-sort a collection without written instruction
What we digitise
Find your own files in this list.
Governance and administration
Council and board minutes, resolutions, bylaws, correspondence registers, contracts, financial ledgers, staff records and procurement files.
Land, property and legal
Land allocation and boundary agreements, title and tenure documents, survey maps, court records and judgments, customary court records and case files.
Education
Learner records, school and college registers, examination and certification records, district and circuit files.
Heritage and cultural records
Genealogies and lineage documents, oral history transcripts, historical photographs, traditional land maps and artefact inventories. Restricted and customary material is handled only on the terms the institution sets, and is never listed as something we offer to digitise.
Private sector
Mining and exploration records, client and policy files, loan and claims files, engineering drawings and audit records.
Maps, plans and drawings
Building plans, survey diagrams, township layouts, servitude and boundary maps, and large-format technical drawings that no ordinary scanner will take.
Some records carry obligations beyond the law. Where community or customary records are involved, your institution decides what may be captured, who may see it and on what terms. That decision is written down before anyone scans anything.
Who we work for
Every institution keeps records.
The method is the same everywhere. What changes is the law that applies, who may see the records, and how fragile the paper is.
National government
Departmental registries and head office records
Provincial government
Departmental, regional and district office records
Municipalities
Local government records and archives
Education
Schools, TVET colleges and district offices
Traditional leadership
Council minutes, customary courts, land agreements and oral history
Heritage
Archives, libraries and museums
Private sector
Mining, banking, insurance, legal and medical practices
Development
NGOs and development organisations
Youth focus
Young people do this work. We train them first.
Every job is staffed by young South Africans we recruit near the site and train ourselves. We look for people aged 18 to 35 in rural and peri-urban communities that were shut out of the digital economy, and we set targets for women and for people with disabilities.
One budget buys two things: your records are safe, and a countable number of young people are trained, paid and certificated. Both can be reported.
- A monthly stipend for travel and food
- Gloves and masks for dusty and damaged files
- A site mentor for every group
- Accessible workstations where they are needed
- 01
Recruit
Near the site, from communities that were shut out of the digital economy.
- 02
Prepare
Two weeks of induction before anyone touches a record.
- 03
Train
Classroom and practice sets, assessed before any live material.
- 04
Real work
Supervised capture on a real collection, with a mentor on site.
- 05
Certify
Assessed against the curriculum. Formal certificates through accredited partners.
- 06
A job, or a business
Into records work, onto our next job, or out on their own.
Company details
How to appoint us.
A Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, 100 per cent black owned, tax compliant and registered on the Central Supplier Database. Spend with us carries 135 per cent procurement recognition. Appointment follows the client's own procurement rules.
Sent with every submission
- CIPC registration certificate
- CSD registration summary report
- SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN
- B-BBEE sworn affidavit (EME) with CIPC certificate 9463980838
- Bank account confirmation letter
- Certified director identity documents
- B-BBEE status
- Level 1 contributor, 100% black owned
- 135% procurement recognition. Exempted Micro Enterprise, certificate valid to 5 August 2027.
- CSD supplier number
- MAAA1758641
- Tax status
- Tax compliant with SARS
- Registration number
- 2026/629221/07
- Directors
- M I Molamu · I M Nkadimeng · R G Phala · M R Sekokotla
- Registered office
- 590 Typhoon Street, Ormonde View, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2091
Contact us
Tell us what you have.
Send us a note about your collection. We will send our company profile and set up a briefing. If you would rather we came to look at the storeroom first, say so.