Page 6 - 14 November 2025

PAGE 6 · THE REPORTER 14 NOVEMBER 2025

irreversible, so your refund validate transactions, from
process needs to be hobbyists to industrial farms.
planned. They get paid in coins and
fees for keeping the system
Micro-payments and small
services honest.
Top 6 things to remember
Networks like Lightning
make tiny, near-instant (stick this in your wallet, not
payments practical, which your cloud)
opens doors for pay-per- 1. Use stablecoins for
article, micro-donations, or remittances if you don’t want
tipping. Think of it as coins wild swings.
for the digital meter. Still 2. Price in local currency, let
“Bitcoin for the Bewildered” will be published in a early, but interesting for the processor handle
series of 4 articles. This is a less of a laugh-out-loud certain online businesses. conversion.
piece, aimed to give readers a clearer sense of what A few real-world caveats 3. Test small transfers before
Ons wens die volgende tagtigjariges van harte geluk this whole Bitcoin business really means, not just the going live.
met hul verjaarsdae en wens hulle alles van die beste currency itself, but the ideas behind it.... Converting Crypto to cash 4. Keep clear refund and
vir die toekoms toe: depends on local exchanges records for tax.
Bitcoin for the Bewildered and on-ramps, which vary in
We congratulate the following octogenarians on their r e l i a b i l i t y a n d c o s t . 5. Decide up front whether
birthdays and wish them everything of the best for the Part 4 - Useable Bits and Regulations change, taxes to hold Crypto or convert to
future: apply, and customer fiat.
Whether You Should disputes are different 6. Don’t treat Crypto as a
Miemie Brummer, 90 op 16 November cashflow shortcut; it’s
Maria Vorster, 83 op 5 November Bother because of irreversibility. If another payment method.
you accept crypto hoping to
Judy Herman, 80 op 31 Desember “sit on it” until it rockets, Two pull-quotes to stick on
Old Dave from the co-op will ramps matter, but for some remember volatility can hurt the page:
tell you straight, he tried corridors, it’s cheaper and your cash flow just as easily
paying a feed trucker with faster than a bank wire. as it can make your balance “Bitcoin is useful plumbing,
Bitcoin once, not because How businesses actually look pretty. not a magic bean.”
he’s into tech, but because accept Crypto Pub Q&A, quick answers to “If you lose your seed
the lad next door swore it was the questions people phrase, there’s no bank to
quick. Dave changed a few There are two sensible actually ask: call, that’s freedom with a
rand into sats, scanned the routes for merchants. One, sting in the tail.”
QR, and the trucker sent a accept Crypto directly into a Q — If Bitcoin’s supply is So, should you bother? If you
transaction ID. Ten minutes wallet you control, which limited, won’t we run out? have a clear, narrow reason,
later, the trucker showed him gives you custody, but also A — No, Bitcoin is divisible faster remittances for a
the explorer page and the headache; you manage into satoshis, one BTC = specific corridor, customer
passed the receipt like any the keys, you face volatility, 100,000,000 sats. demand, or a micro-
other till slip. Dave still and you handle your own Even if a whole coin is worth payments idea, try it small
swears by his biscuit tin for accounting. Two, use a a house, you’ll still buy a loaf and sensible. If you’re
small cash, but he admitted p a y m e n t p r o c e s s o r ; with a handful of sats. chasing hype or think it’s a
the maths did the job that companies like BitPay or shortcut to more sales
day. That little story is the C o i n b a s e C o m m e r c e Q — If I pay with Bitcoin, without effort, don’t bother.
point of this whole thing; provide buttons, invoices, does it depend on the Treat Crypto as a tool in the
crypto is not always mystical, and point-of-sale tools; they exchange rate? toolbox, not the whole
sometimes it’s just a useful can either pass the Crypto to A — Absolutely, the BTC workshop.
you or instantly convert it to
plumbing option. amount you hand over
local currency and put it in Final thought, and a bit of
So, what is actually useful, your bank. For most small depends on the live price in comfort for skeptics
and for whom? Short businesses, the processor rand/dollars at that moment.
answer: Crypto can be handy option is the one that makes Q — Can I pay a supplier The plumbing is improving.
in a few real-world situations, sense, customer con- who wants another Crypto? Stablecoins and better
processors make practical
but treat it like a tool, not a venience without sitting on A — Yes, but usually by use-cases simpler, second-
promise. price risk. converting first on an layer networks lower costs,
Stable, fast remittances P r a c t i c a l t i p s f o r exchange, or via a payment and regulation is gradually
If you’re sending money merchants processor that does the catching up, so businesses
across borders, banks can Price goods in your local swap, both involve a rate and have clearer ground rules.
be slow and expensive. currency and let the pro- a small fee. That doesn’t mean overnight
Crypto can move value cessor do the conversion, Q — Where’s the proof of riches or a flawless system,
almost instantly across the which avoids awkward payment? but it does mean the useful
internet, but wild price swings at checkout. Decide A — Every on-chain parts of Crypto are getting
swings are a pain. Enter in advance whether you’ll payment gives you a less fiddly. If you want to
s t a b l e c o i n s , t o k e n s keep any Crypto or convert transaction ID, txid. Paste watch from the pub and only
designed to track a stable everything to fiat (rands), that into a block explorer and step in when it makes sense,
asset, usually the US dollar. because that choice you’ve got a public receipt that’s a perfectly sensible
With a stablecoin, you can determines your exposure. showing amount, recipient plan. If you want to roll your
move dollar equivalents Test transactions before you address and confirmations. sleeves up and try it, start
The Reporter which is registered at the Post Office as quickly, avoid massive go live, check fees, small, test often, and keep
swings while the money is en processor fees, plus network Q — Who are the miners? your seed phrase on metal,
a newspaper is printed and published by the
route, and cash out locally fees can bite, and make A — They’re the people and not on a photo. “keeping the
proprietors, Barkly East Reporter cc (Reg No.
when convenient. It isn’t refund rules clear. Crypto companies running the seed phrase on metal” just
2002/024771/23) at 28 Greyvenstein Street, Barkly means physically inscribing
magic; fees and local on- payments are typically specialised computers that
East. those recovery words onto a
Copyright on all materials in The Reporter reserved durable metal backup,
by the proprietors. instead of paper, to survive
fire, flood, or time, a literal,
indestructible copy of your
wallet’s key.
As I mentioned at the
beginning of Part 1, I don’t
own any cryptocurrency;
Hierdie lys van funksies en gebeure word everything in this series is
gepubliseer in ‘n poging om te verhoed dat what I've researched and
belangrike fondsinsameling pogings bots. Funksies made sense of, not a
geplaas op voorwaarde dat ‘n advertensie later recommendation. This isn’t
geplaas word. ‘n Rekening sal gestuur word 2:40pm financial advice, check with a
indien daar nie ‘n advertensie geplaas word nie. licensed adviser for tax or
investment questions, and
NOVEMBER 2025 treat these as the thoughts of
15 Polymer Earring Making Course (CMR) an old fella barking at the
22 AGS Shalom 4x4 Mannedag 7:40pm Moon.
DECEMBER 2025 Hopefully, I have demystified
Crypto for you, or at least
6 Barkly East SUMMER FESTIVAL
some of what the hype is all
13 MOSHESH Classic: Tennis, Pickleball, Social about.
Paddle, MTN Biking 5:10pm
By Logan Lamont