This year, PwC’s 24th Annual Global CEO Survey polled 5 050 CEOs in 100 countries and territories over January and February 2021. Some of the key findings from the survey are: 41% are ‘very confident’ about their organisation’s prospects for revenue growth over the next 12 months. 51% report they have reduced staff in the…
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…
‘When nothing is sure, everything is possible.’ This is such a powerful quote from novelist Margaret Drabble. In an article in Psychologies about how to find peace in unpredictable times, the author suggests: ‘Place your hands on your heart, breathe deeply and tune into a dream for yourself, your loved ones, your community and the…
When it comes to addressing South Africa’s scarce-skills shortage, SAICA prides itself on accrediting programmes which enable students access to SAICA’s membership via various qualification routes. The accounting body recently added another point of entry into its diverse offerings when it confirmed that the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ’s) BCom Accounting and BCom Accounting (Extended Programme)…
Bafo Thomas Khanyeza Senior Lecturer at Unisa In this article, the world’s three different categories of anti-corruption strategies (auditing models) are explored, as well as the country’s own anti-corruption strategy, which is underpinned by the Auditing Professions Act of 2005 (APA). It is further investigated how the APA can be used in the public sector…
Lilly MollelAudit Manager, RSM South Africa Over the festive season, I encountered an article on the Innovation Enterprise website written by James Ovenden which, for obvious reasons, caught my attention. Will blockchain render accountants irrelevant? The article discussed the impact blockchain technology will have on the auditing and accounting professions and how this is likely…
Hayley Barker HoogwerfSAICA: Project Director The South African and other global economies have fallen victim to corporate failures that resulted in devastating effects on investors and the public. When such corporate failures do occur, the role of the auditor is often brought under scrutiny; particularly as it relates to the role of the auditor in…
Against the backdrop of the ongoing scrutiny the auditing and accountancy professions are under, SAICA hosted an online discussion about auditors and the public interest, ethics and professional integrity in October 2020. The panel and participants focused on how the future of the profession is linked to the need for it to reinforce the commitment…
Auditors are engaged as protectors of society and are expected to be independent of the company. Yet it is the company who appoint and remunerate the protectors. Only by changing who pays the auditor will real audit reform take place in the public interest. A 2020 report into the audit profession’s deficiencies by former London…
‘Who will monitor the monitors of the monitors? This is a critical question that organisations, professional bodies and regulators who have been tasked with monitoring society need to consider. I believe that external audit falls within this category and we too need to consider this question. In this article I will explain why external audit…