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ARTICLES FROM COVID-19 HUB
Covid-19: Humanity will rise as a force, stronger than a disease
Lockdown is like standing on the edge of what is known and unknown At the edge, you have options 1. You stand still, hoping that things go “back to normal” or 2. You wait to be rescued; or 3. You embrace the opportunity and boldly find your wings to fly. During Lockdown, there were many…
COVID-19 is likely to reshape the world – here’s how accountants can help
By Pieter Bensch, Executive Vice-President at Sage Africa & Middle East As an accountant, you have an invaluable role to play in helping your clients survive the COVID-19 outbreak and its economic effects. With the pandemic and the national lockdown battering nearly every company in South Africa, they need your counsel and practical advice more…
ITC and APC EXAM dates change due to Covid-19
We find ourselves in significantly challenging and difficult times: a constantly changing world which is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. With these uncertain circumstances we all need to rapidly adapt to change. Like many other organisations, SAICA finds itself in the position of having to make some very difficult decisions, particularly about the upcoming SAICA…
COVID-19 crisis – Audit offices responding in times of crisis
The outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic has demanded an extraordinary response by governments around the world. The fight against the biggest health threat of our time requires of every parliament, organisation, company and individual to respond quickly to this challenge. It cannot be business as usual. The same applies to national audit offices. Not…
What good leaders do in a time of crisis
As part of SAICA’s Leadership in a time of crisis webinar series, CA(SA) and CFO of Discovery Health, Brett Tromp, shared his thoughts on what good leaders can do in a time of crisis. In good times, a leader’s role is straightforward: keep your company afloat, your staff employed, and your customers satisfied. It’s during…
The economic impact of COVID-19
SAICA hosted a webinar on 6 April 2020 where Annabel Bishop, Chief Economist for Investec Bank Limited South Africa, spoke about the effects of sub-investment grade status and the coronavirus on our country’s already struggling economy. SAICA is offering a ‘Leadership in a time of crisis’ webinar series as part of the Institute’s response to…
A Thought (or penny) to spare
While many have hunkered down literally ‘zooming’ across the net attending webinars, conference calls and Pilates classes from the comfort of their homes relatively safe from contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, fellow South Africans are facing an even bigger threat from the economic fallout created by the lockdown; the very tool deployed to prevent the spread…
SAICA Disciplinary Report Quarter 1 2020
Overview of the disciplinary process All member complaints received by SAICA are referred to the designated officer and allocated to the Legal and Discipline Unit staff for case management. All cases in which SAICA has jurisdiction are prepared for submission to the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). The PCC is an independent committee chaired by either…
Wits PhD student wins award for invention vital to fighting COVID-19
Over five years Michael Lucas, a PhD student in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Wits, has developed a metallised coating that can be added to surfaces in hospitals to make them capable of self-sanitising. Lucas explains that most hospital surfaces are made of stainless steel and plastic and are sites of contamination. By adding…
Achieving mental wellbeing during Covid-19
Achieving mental wellbeing during Covid-19 As part of Saica’s Leadership in a time of crisis webinar series, clinical psychologist Navlika Ratangee spoke about how to achieve mental wellbeing during the Covid-19 crisis. You can still watch this webcast for free here. The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) understands that the outbreak of Covid-19…
ARTICLES FROM ACCOUNTANCY SA
Training the accountants of tomorrow, today
Equipped with the right tools and skills, the accounting community can be among the most valuable advisors and the key to restarting the South African economy. South Africa’s small businesses face an unprecedented range of challenges, and as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, three out of four SMMEs are not expected to survive, according…
October 2020 Issue
A critical juncture There is an increased focus on ethical behaviour in business and a realisation that regulations and compliance to regulation (as vital as it may be) simply are not enough to ensure a sustained ethical behaviour in an organisation. As ethical leaders, every decision that is made by you have an impact and…
Advice: When can losses on shareholders’ loans be claimed as a tax deduction?
When operating in a distress economy such as we find ourselves in these days, it is an inevitable consequence that shareholders will find themselves disposing of companies for less than they paid for them, whether the companies were formed or purchased by those shareholders. But when can losses on shareholders’ loans be claimed as a…
Advice: Creating real relationships at work
Many people spend more waking time at work than at home, and yet we may give less thought to creating healthy relationships in the workplace than within our families. I am by no means arguing that your relationship with a partner, children, family or other central figures in your life should take a back seat.…
Advice: On strategy – A passion for entrepreneurship
I have always been intrigued by ‘strategy’, the thing that ultimately sets a company apart from the next and probably, together with strong leadership, the main driver behind sustained value creation. In a series of interviews, I am exploring the different approaches of different business leaders (all chartered accountants) to strategy. I had a virtual…
Advice: Augmented Auditor 4.0 Audit is dead, assurance is the new orange
Auditors will be augmented with technology towards becoming Augmented Auditors 4.0 (Audit 4.0) if the profession wants to remain relevant. As a profession, auditors currently find themselves somewhere between Audit 2.0 and Audit 3.0, with many still relying on outdated tools in a modern business environment. Given the volume of transactions which businesses process daily,…
Ways to enhance professional ethical identity
The Professional Ethical Choice Model described here is one of the experiential learning tools used on SAICA’s mentoring programme, Development of the model A former chair of the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s (HPCSA) Ethics Committee, Professor Charles Malcolm, shares a story of how he came up with the idea of using a method…
Advice: Finding your own North Star
The post-qualification journey of a CA(SA) makes available a broad landscape of career choices. Beyond the well-structured boundaries of TIPP (Training in Public Practice) and TOPP (Training Outside Public Practice) lies unmapped territory which we must navigate by looking to ourselves for co-ordinates. As we add the title of cartographer to our list of credits,…
A dose of courage
The key for women who want to make it in the accountancy profession. Some women often give up on their dream careers because of personal circumstances. Anneline Marais shares her story on how she decided to not give up on her vision of becoming a chartered accountant (CA(SA), even after an unplanned pregnancy. She also…
A passion for the public sector
As the accounting profession in South Africa evolves, the sector is welcoming new talent into its ranks. SAICA’s numerous training programmes are evidence that the industry is churning out fresher, younger minds as it continues to grow. But with so many opportunities to work in the lucrative private sector, why would a young professional choose…