Focus: A rosier future for crypto?

Monique Verduyn spoke to crypto expert Petri Basson, a CA(SA) who is building digital companies from the Cayman Islands, as well as developing a crypto data aggregation and normalisation business (Hash Data) to simplify digital asset management. Cryptocurrency is not just for young, tech-savvy millennials anymore. Governments, central banks and major enterprises can no longer…

Focus: What keeps cryptocurrency auditors awake at night?

Insights from a webinar hosted by Mazars in collaboration with South African digital asset exchange Luno. Today, South Africa finds itself amongst the top-ranking cryptocurrency trading nations on the continent. With local daily crypto asset trading values exceeding the $45 million mark, regulators and auditors play an increasingly crucial role in securing and validating the…

Focus: Blockchain technology for government procurement #A must or a maybe?

South African government supply chain and procurement processes are often marred by irregularities and allegations of corruption which are reported annually by the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) and other bodies, as well as the media. Of even greater concern is the lack of (quality) service delivery that often results from these irregularities and corruption, and…

Focus: How do decentralised digital identities (DIDs) work on Ethereum?

Blockchain technology allows users to create and manage digital identities through the combination of three components: decentralised identifiers, identity management and embedded encryption. A digital identity arises organically from the use of personal information on the web and from the shadow data created by the individual’s actions online. A digital identity may be a pseudonymous…

Focus: Sustainability reporting in the public sector

This article explores the intersection between corporate sustainability reporting developments and public sector reporting in South Africa Since the establishment of the Task-force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2015, the announcement of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in 2021 at COP 26 and its subsequent establishment, and the introduction of new regulations in…

Focus: A pathway to accrual accounting for national and provincial departments

Sandiso Gcwabe CA(SA), CFO of the Western Cape Liquor Authority and Deputy Chairperson of the SAICA Southern Region Public Sector Committee, calls for a National Implementation Strategy and Plan for the adoption of accrual accounting for national and provincial departments by 1 April 2026 The continued use of the current Modified Cash Standard (MCS) for…

Focus: Funding of South African public schools explained

Since 1994, the government’s efforts to redress historical imbalances and achieve equity were fundamental policy mechanisms to restructure South African education Equity reforms in post-apartheid South Africa were intended to equalise funding among provinces, schools and socio-economic groups. This was undertaken through national policies that would direct state funding to public schools. The most significant…

Focus: Public sector – The impact of 4IR on accounting and finance in the public sector

Doing the 4IR perspectives for accountants’ course as a trainee in the public sector made me wonder how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) could affect my organisation as a chapter 13 institution which is responsible for managing the public finances of the country. This article is a synopsis of thoughts and observations from our experiences…

Focus: Public sector – Forgery risk high during COVID-19 lockdown period

As the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic saw various small to large entities crumble, it was an opportunity for fraudsters to flourish too. Assurance providers throughout the value chain of the integrated assurance should therefore ensure vigilance in managing the risks associated with fraud during a remote-working period The lockdown meant that most people, including…