Roughly 25% of CAs(SA) are women. The percentage of employed women CAs(SA) is even lower. Statistics from universities, institutes and the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms can attest that the relative dearth of employed women CAs(SA) is not a question of inferior intellect; in fact, in some cases women pass exams easier and make better accountants…
When I qualified as a CA(SA) nearly 13 years ago, I found that there was a dearth of African women in this particular profession, and I quickly realised that in order to change that, we would need to grow a strong support mechanism for aspirant and newly qualified women CAs(SA). My impression at the time…
Qualified: 1996 after studying at the University of Durban-Westville (now University of KwaZulu-Natal) Current position: National Human Capital Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Nitasha has been with PwC for 13 years. Career profile I started my career with the firm as a trainee accountant and was admitted as a partner in 2001 at the age of thirty.…
Career highlights I started at Deloitte in 1988 and became the first black female partner and subsequently Chairman at Deloitte Southern Africa. I am also a former first woman president of the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA), a body dedicated to nurturing emerging black accountants. Academic involvement My commitment…
When I enrolled at the University of Cape Town in the 70s I was undecided about the direction I wished to pursue and registered for a science degree. At that stage it was uncommon for young women to do accounting. Approximately 5% of my CTA class was female, a far cry from the current 45…
Starting out From a very young age my dream was to become a teacher. Then, in high school I wanted to become a medical doctor. My career guidance teacher at Sand du Plessis Hoërskool in Bloemfontein, Mr Naude, suggested at the time that I should keep my options open by taking accounting as my fourth…
The accounting profession has long been perceived as a profession for men in grey suits. But this is a professional stereotype that is fast changing, and rightly so. Women CAN make it in this “cut-throat” profession. The beauty about it all is that we do not have to be replicas of men; we just have…
Zarina was the first black woman in SA to hold the position of a partner at Ernst & Young, and the first black woman to be executive director of Absa Private Bank, in this country. She is currently Vice-chairman of Absa Retail Bank. he sub-prime lending crisis is having a ripple effect all over the…
O fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint, agricolas Oh, blessed beyond all bliss, the farmers – did they but know their happiness. This was Virgil, apparently expressing a romantic view of bucolic life. To be fair, the farmers he had in mind were not perceived as blessed because of the nature of their work…
Dit is wel so dat die ekonomie sterk groeiankers het in die landbou, mynbou en die konstruksiebedryf wat baat vind by die besteding op infrastruktuur deur die openbare sektor. Dit ondersteun die ekonomiese groei en is ‘n belangrike stut in moeilike tye soos die huidige. Dit beteken egter nie dat sulke groeisektore onder alle omstandighede…