Amakhadi Okuthenga Ngesikweleti Namasheke
—Awangempela Noma Awomgunyathi?
YEKA indlela awusizo ngayo! Mancane, kulula nokuwaphatha. Angena kahle esikhwameni semali sabesilisa noma sabesifazane. Ungaphethe senti esikhwameni, uyakwazi ukuthenga izinto eziningi. Ukusetshenziswa kwekhadi lokuthenga ngesikweleti kukhuthazwa futhi kukhangiswa izinkampani zezindiza, izinkampani zemikhumbi, amahhotela, nezindawo zamaholide emhlabeni wonke. Abantu bayalulekwa: “Ungalishiyi ekhaya.” Amanye amabhizinisi amukela wona esikhundleni semali. Ngokungefani nemali, uma ebiwe noma elahlekile, kungatholakala amanye. Ayimali yakho siqu, enegama lakho nenombolo ye-akhawunti egxivizwe ebusweni balo.
Aziwa ngokuthi imali eyipulasitiki—amakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti. Ngo-1985 amanye amabhange asebenzisa ama-hologram awo ayinkimbinkimbi, asebenza nge-laser, abonakala enezinhlangothi ezintathu, kanye nezinye izici zokuphepha, kusukela enombolweni ekhethekile emudweni ovundla ngemva kwekhadi kuya ophawini olungabonakali oluvela ngokukhanya oku-ultraviolet. Konke lokhu kwenzelwa ukuvimbela ukwenziwa komgunyathi! Kulinganiselwa ukuthi kusetshenziswa amakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti angaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-600 embulungeni yonke.
Kucatshangelwa ukuthi emhlabeni wonke ukulahlekelwa ngokukhwabanisa ngamakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti okuhlukahlukene ekuqaleni kwawo-1990 kwakufinyelela okungenani emaRandini ayizigidi ezingu-3600. Kulezo zinhlobo zokukhwabanisa, kubikwa ukuthi ukwenziwa komgunyathi kwanda ngokushesha kunazo zonke—kwakha okungenani amaphesenti ayishumi akho konke ukulahlekelwa.
Ngokwesibonelo, ukwenziwa komgunyathi ngo-1993 kwadla amabhange angamalungu enye yezinhlangano ezinkulu zamakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-485,7, okuwukwanda ngamaphesenti angu-75 kunangonyaka owandulela. Enye inkampani ephambili yamakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti, esemhlabeni wonke, nayo yabika ukulahlekelwa okukhulu ngenxa yokwenziwa komgunyathi. “Lokhu kwenza ukuba ukwenziwa kwamakhadi omgunyathi kungabi inkinga enkulu emabhange, ezinkampanini zamakhadi nakubathengisi abawamukelayo kuphela kodwa nakumakhasimende emhlabeni wonke,” kubhala iphephandaba elithile laseNew Zealand. Nakuba abanamakhadi asemthethweni bengenacala ngalokhu kulahlekelwa, izindleko ngokungenakugwenywa zidluliselwa kumakhasimende.
Kuthiwani ngezici zokuphepha ezifakiwe ezaziyisithiyo kubenzi bomgunyathi—njengama-hologram enziwe nge-laser nezinombolo ezikhethekile ezifakiwe? Phakathi nesikhathi esingangonyaka ngemva kokufakwa kwalezi zici, kwaqala ukuvela kwamakhadi okuqala omgunyathi. Ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho, zonke izici zokuphepha zakopishwa noma zancishiswa. “Kumelwe uthuthukise ngaso sonke isikhathi,” kusho isikhulu esithile sasebhange laseHong Kong. “Izigebengu zihlala zizama ukukuphamba.”
Ngokuthakazelisayo, ochwepheshe bathi ingxenye yakho konke ukulahlekelwa ngamakhadi omgunyathi ekuqaleni kwawo-1990 kwenzeka e-Asia, futhi cishe ingxenye yalokhu yatholakala eHong Kong. Omunye uchwepheshe wathi: “EHong Kong amakhadi omgunyathi okuthenga ngesikweleti anjengemfashini ephambili eParis.” Abanye baye bamangalela iHong Kong ngokuba inhloko-dolobha yomhlaba wonke yokwenziwa kwamakhadi omgunyathi—“isikhungo ‘sonxantathu’ sokukhwabanisa ngamakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti esihlanganisa neThailand, iMalaysia futhi manje neningizimu yeChina.” “Amaphoyisa aseHong Kong athi izigebengu zendawo ezisebenzelana nezinhlangano zobugebengu obuhleliwe zaseChina zinyathelisa, zigxivize futhi zigunyaze amakhadi omgunyathi zisebenzisa izinombolo ezizinikezwa abathengisi abonakele. Khona-ke zimane zithumele lamakhadi omgunyathi kwamanye amazwe,” kubika iphephandaba laseNew Zealand.
“Umshini wokugxiviza amakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti, owathengwa [eCanada] amalungu eqembu lase-Asia, ususetshenziselwa ukwenza amakhadi omgunyathi okuthenga ngesikweleti. Lomshini unyathelisa amakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti angu-250 ngehora, futhi amaphoyisa acabanga ukuthi uye wasetshenziswa ekukhwabaniseni izigidigidi zama-dollar,” kubika iphephandaba laseCanada i-Globe & Mail. Kuleminyaka embalwa edlule, amaShayina aseHong Kong aye aboshwa ngenxa yokusebenzisa amakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti omgunyathi okungenani emazweni angu-22 kusuka e-Austria kuya e-Australia, kuhlanganise neGuam, iMalaysia, neSwitzerland. Amakhadi okuthenga ngesikweleti aseJapane afunwa kakhulu, njengoba enikeza abawasebenzisayo isilinganiso esiphakeme kakhulu sokuthenga.
Ukwanda kokukhwabanisa nokwenziwa kwamakhadi okuthenga omgunyathi kusho ukuthi “abenzi bawo baphoqelekile ukuba babe izindleko zenani elandayo lokukhwabanisa,” kusho isikhulu esithile sasebhange laseCanada. Futhi kuba njalo. Ikhadi lokuthenga ngesikweleti lingase ngempela libe usizo lapho olisebenzisyo engenayo imali eyanele. Nokho, khumbula ukuthi okuwukuphela kwento edingwa abenzi bomgunyathi inombolo yakho ye-akhawunti nosuku lokuphela kwekhadi ukuze baqale ibhizinisi. Isikhulu sokuphepha sendawo se-American Express International saxwayisa: “Yimali eyipulasitiki, kodwa abantu abakayiphathi ngokuhlakanipha ngendlela abaphatha ngayo imali.”
“Lesi simiso sigcwele ubuthakathaka,” kusho unsumpa othile wamaphoyisa. Wathi ngabenzi bomgunyathi: “Izinswelaboya zibuthole bonke. Futhi zibusebenzisa ngonya.”
Ukwenza Amasheke Omgunyathi
Ngenxa yokunyathelisa ngemishini emincane engakhiqiza cishe noma iyiphi imali eyiphepha ngaphandle kwephutha, okwalandela ngokushesha kwakungenakugwenywa. Abenzi bomgunyathi babengakhiqiza izinhlobonhlobo zezincwadi: izincwadi zokungena kwamanye amazwe, izitifiketi zokuzalwa, izimvume zezakhamuzi, izitifiketi zobunikazi bempahla, ama-oda okuthenga, izincwadi ezigunyaza imithi, nezinye eziningi. Kodwa inzuzo enkulu beyingatholakala ngokukhiqizwa kwamasheke.
Lenqubo ilula ngendlela ephawulekayo. Lapho nje umenzi womgunyathi ethola isheke lenkampani enkulu enezigidi zamaRandi emabhange endawo noma ezwe lonke, useqala ibhizinisi. Esebenzisa umshini wakhe wokunyathelisa omncane, i-optical scanner, neminye imishini kagesi, angashintsha leli sheke ukuze livumelane nezinjongo zakhe—ashintshe usuku, asule igama lomuntu okufanele akhokhelwe abhale elakhe, anezele amaqanda enanini lamaRandi. Ube esenyathelisa leli sheke elishintshiwe emshinini wakhe wokunyathelisa nge-laser, esebenzisa iphepha alithenge esitolo sezincwadi esiseduze elinombala ofana nowesheke. Enyathelisa amashumi noma ngaphezulu ngesikhathi aleli sheke lomgunyathi, angawashintsha nganoma isiphi isikhathi emagatsheni aleli bhange kunoma iliphi idolobha.
Izikhulu zamabhange nezomthetho zithi ukwanda kokwenziwa kwamasheke omgunyathi ngalendlela elula nengabizi kukhulu kangangokuthi izindleko kwezomnotho zingafinyelela kumaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-3600. I-New York Times yabika ukuthi kwesinye isimo esibonisa isibindi esikhulu, iqembu elizinze eLos Angeles lalihamba ezweni lonke lishintsha izinkulungwane zamasheke omgunyathi emabhange, ayenza ingqikithi yama-dollar angaphezu kwezigidi ezimbili (amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-7). Abahlaziyi bezimboni balinganisela ukuthi ingqikithi yezindleko zaminyaka yonke zokukhwabanisa ngamasheke isingama-dollar ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyishumi (amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-36 000) e-United States kuphela. “Inkinga ephambili yobugebengu ezikhungweni zezimali,” kusho isikhulu esithile se-FBI, “yizinto zomgunyathi ezishintshekayo, njengokukhwabanisa ngamasheke nangama-money order.”
[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 7]
Izinzuzo ezinkulu zitholakala ngokwenza amasheke omgunyathi