Adelaine van Zyl gradually became deaf in her matric year as a result of osteopetrosis (better known as marble bone disease), which she was diagnosed with when she was 13 years old. She did not let her disability define her, however, and was adamant to qualify as a chartered accountant.
We celebrate her ITC results, as her biggest dream and driving motivation in life was to become a CA(SA). She was an inspiration to us all.
Adelaine joined the Auditor-General on 1 February 2016 as the organisation’s first deaf trainee auditor. When she joined, she already had her Bachelor of Accounting Science degree, which she obtained in 2014.
Adelaine enrolled for her Certificate in Theory of Accounting (CTA) in 2016. Due to health issues, she took a study recess year in 2016. After seeing her health improve, she continued with CTA level 1 in 2017 and passed CTA level 2 in 2018.
Twenty-six medical procedures later and Adelaine was able to write her ITC exams in June 2019, which took an insurmountable amount of effort and determination on her part.
