Former president Nelson Mandela once said: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ But education takes time –and we must act now to safeguard the future of education. Over the years we’ve seen how, through education, people from the most challenging situations have managed to break out and…
Portrait of young African nerd man as student with eyeglasses at the park outdoors As we begin a new year, many of us start the year with new hopes, dreams and goals. With 2020 and its many challenges behind us, we look forward to 2021 with the hope of new beginnings and a better future…
It’s International Women’s Day on 8 March 2021, a global day celebrating the achievements of women while highlighting the urgency of realising gender equality. SAICA, as a voice for women empowerment, is creating a platform for leadership development of female members in 2021. Apart from the moral and social case for gender diversity, the business…
SEIZING TOMORROW TODAY May is an important month − it almost marks the middle of the year, and we all are taking stock of the first part of the year, probably wondering what happened to the past four months. As professionals managing change in these uncertain times, it is important to reflect and see how…
Women possess numerous qualities that are essential to the success of the workplace, including their empathetic and caring nature. However, regardless of the efforts taken to celebrate women and their role in the workplace and society, there is still a significant gap in equality among men and women in terms of pay and rank. The…
Tackling the greatest threat to human survival The United Nations paints a grim picture of what may happen if we are unsuccessful in our climate change efforts. With average global temperatures increasing beyond 3 °C (on the current trajectory), every ecosystem will suffer the consequences. Since we all share one planet, these changes threaten our…
In my previous article, I posed the following scenario. An individual finds himself in a body of water with no means to stay afloat and unable to swim ashore. Flanking the shore are several individuals, each positioned at a vantage point that offers a clear view of the person slowly sinking. However, rather than aiding…
Despite a traumatic childhood hemmed in by in pain and poverty, Hundzukani Mabunda has proved that you can rise above your circumstances and achieve the impossible. She was the first learner at her village to pass Grade 12 with distinctions and also the first qualified chartered accountant at Bambeni Village in Limpopo Province. Today she…
One of the first beneficiaries of SAICA Thuthuka Education Upliftment Fund is making her mark in the chartered accountancy profession as well as corporate South Africa and is lifting others as she rises. Buhle Hanise, currently CFO at Chinese automotive company BAIC South Africa and deputy president of African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA), reflects on…
For vulnerable groups of people in South Africa (mainly the youth, women and South Africans struggling with chronic poverty), job creation, entrepreneurship and sustainable small and medium-sized entities must be the focal point of SDG 8: ‘Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’. The rapid growth…