Never give up! If you listen to the most successful people who have achieved great things in life, you’re bound to hear them mention these three simple words somewhere in their story. Rudzani Mandiwana is one of those. Despite some severe setbacks, she never gave up on her dream of becoming a CA(SA). She qualified at 46 years of age, and her journey of perseverance is evidence that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
In the middle of the first quarter of Grade 9, Rudzani Mandiwana realised that ‘blood and gore’ wasn’t quite her scene, and her dreams of being a doctor came crashing − she literally begged her teacher to allow her to swop her subjects from biology to accounting and economics. Her teacher agreed on one condition − that she did well! She gave him her promise and stuck to it.
Rudzani is the eldest of five siblings. She grew up in a small village called Tshifulanani fhasi ha bada in Venda.
‘We were a poor family. In fact, we could hardly afford anything at all. My mother was a housewife, and my father mainly did piece jobs to try and bring in an income.’
Rudzani remembers chatting to her mother in Grade 12, who asked her what she wanted to do when she finishes high school. By then Rudzani knew what a chartered accountant was and explained to her mother that this was the career she wanted to follow.
‘I remember seeing a sad look cross my mother’s face, because she knew that she could not afford the university fees. Then, suddenly, she said: “No, don’t worry, God will provide! Just do what you need to do.”’
After finishing high school, Rudzani enrolled at the University of Venda. Her parents struggled to raise money for her registration, and when she arrived to register, she found to her dismay that the BCom accounting degree could not take on any more students, and so she had to opt for studying BCom Business Management. In her second year, she managed to change over to BCom Accounting, and because she had done so well, she had a bursary that would cover her accommodation, meal, books and tuition.
‘This was a huge relief, because my parents were really struggling to cover the costs,’ says Rudzani.
Then tragedy struck. Two months before her graduation, her mother suddenly passed away and Rudzani had to help her father raise her five siblings and try to earn extra money. She managed get a job at Sasko, which was then known Sibasa Bakery, as a creditors clerk.
‘I was 21 years old, and it was like I became instant mother to five kids,’ says Rudzani, laughing.
During this difficult time, Dr Tshifhiwa Athalia Mavhutha, a pastor and also a close friend of her mother’s, came alongside Rudzani to support her. She was like a mentor to talk and confide in, which made things a bit more bearable.
‘I had someone to look up to. She guided me, holding my hand during this very hard time, and even today, she’s still there as a mother figure for me.’
It was important for Rudzani to know her siblings would grow up educated, so she decided to put her own career on hold in order to earn money to help her siblings get on their feet in life so they could pursue their studies and go to university.
‘I am very proud of them today, because they are all independent and some are even raising their own families,’ she says proudly.
It was only in 2000 that she could finally start her articles at the Auditor-General. In 2003, because the University of Venda wasn’t accredited by SAICA at the time, she had to do a bridging course to move to CTA Level 2. During the next seven years, she got married and had three children and was caught in the maelstrom of motherhood, so again had to put her studies on the back seat.
In 2014, when Rudzani’s youngest daughter was four years old, she decided it was time to go back to her studies and give it her all. She communicated her desire to go back to school with her husband and children, because she realised that she would need their support considering that her going back to school would mean that she would put on hold some of the family activities. Both her husband and kids supported her wishes.
After six failed attempts and with the help of extra classes she managed to pass her CTA Level 1 exam. And in 2017, after two failed attempts, she passed CTA Level 2.
Author Lisa Witepski & Lynn Grala | Photographer Theana Breugem
‘In 2018 I did my Initial Test of Competency (ITC), the first SAICA board exam. That one was a breeze for me, because I passed it the first time,’ says Rudzani.
In 2021, she passed her second board exam (APC) after the fifth attempt: ‘I must admit it had been a very long journey and there were several times that I felt like giving up. In 2021, before I rewrote the exam, I even decided to try pursuing a career in tax and went to register as a member at the South African Institute of Taxation (SAIT) as a general tax practitioner. I was about to give up, and the idea was that if I wouldn’t pass APC that time around, I would focus on something else. It actually worked in my favour, because I became a CA and a tax practitioner at the same time.
Rudzani started at National Treasury as a senior financial analyst and grew through the ranks becoming a director responsible for corporate governance (providing governance oversight over state-owned entities). Today, she is acting chief director for governance and financial analysis within the Asset and Liability Management Division in National Treasury. A general Tax practitioner and a member of Institute of Directors ( IoD).
SAICA congratulates her on achieving her dream!
Rudzani’s advice for other women
‘As a woman, you are able to play different roles in life and still be able to achieve your goals. by the time I became a CA, I was a wife, mother, employee, a sibling , a friend to others. The trick is to get your priorities right, to be able “no” when a need arises without feeling guilty about it, to be able to put yourself first and learn to love yourself so that you will be able to love people around you. You must have your own goals as a person, and you must be able to tell yourself that you need to achieve these goals regardless of your circumstances. Come up with a plan and do not surrender to any discouragement or to anything that will make you give up!’
Author Lisa Witepski & Lynn Grala | Photographer Theana Breugem
