Languages: 
A trio of young lecturers who graduated from the ground-breaking WSU/SAICA multi-million-rand Accreditation Programme instituted in 2011 to help the institution regain its BCom Accounting accreditation have returned to give back to the WSU community.
The R84 million project, launched by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in partnership with the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and the University of Cape Town in Mthatha in 2012, paved the way for the likes of WSU accounting lecturers Ziphozethu Tunzi, Chuma Njomeni and Simthembile Ngcubhe to pursue their dreams of becoming chartered accountants.
“I decided I wanted to become a CA after I went to the SAICA/Thuthuka winter camp in grade 11. Thuthuka had brought in professionals from different fields to enlighten us about the different career paths and the benefits of each.”
“The SAICA intervention was invaluable as it helped students by providing support, from funding tuition & accommodation, meals and meal allowances, textbooks, extra classes and workplace readiness to skills development workshops which we all benefitted from,” said taxation lecturer at Mthatha campus Ziphozethu Tunzi.
Tunzi, who completed her training articles with the Western Cape Auditor-General in December 2019 and subsequently registered as a CA(SA) in April last year, was part of the initial 25-strong pilot group which kicked off the accreditation project at WSU in 2011.
She opined extensively about the importance of such interventions being expanded to unearth, nurture and groom young talented minds that will use their skillset to uplift the Eastern Cape from poverty through ploughing back to the communities.
“It has never sat well with me that most South African black professionals are born in the EC but development and growth in our community is this slow when we have this many brilliant minds,” said Tunzi.
Her counterpart, accounting sciences lecturer at Mthatha Campus Chuma Njomeni, who commenced his duties only two months ago, vowed to impart the same academic professionalism, proficiency and care upon his student as had been imparted upon him as a student almost 10 years ago.
Njomeni heaped praise upon the many stakeholders who played a part in ensuring that the university acquires SAICA accreditation, reserving his highest praises for the lecturers who made the most unbelievable sacrifices.
“I think the re-accreditation team worked very hard. You could tell from how hard they worked that there was no way the project was going to fail. We were inspired to work hard especially when coming back from the library/study centre and you notice their cars are still on campus and still working,” he said.
Rounding up the trio is Simthembile Ngcubhe, an accounting sciences lecturer at the Ibika campus who commenced his duties in March this year.
Ngcubhe, who also completed his articles at the Auditor-General in December 2019 and subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant in early2020, proudly proclaims that it was accounting that chose him, and not the other way round.
“I joined WSU 2012, starting a degree in Bachelor of Accounting Science. I was not quite sure about the road I was taking and it was my first time hearing about a Chartered Accountant. All I was excited about was that I was getting 100 percent bursary from Thuthuka. The journey was not easy at all, with some fears that I could be kicked out of the bursary scheme should I not meet the minimum requirements,” he exclaimed.
Acting dean for the faculty of commerce and administration, Francis Kwahene, is all too familiar with the project as I unfolded right under his watch as the then BCom Accounting departmental head.
Looking back in adulation, he narrated the humble beginnings of the intervention which has seen over 300 graduates over the years, that started in 2011 with only 25 students before enrolling a full cohort of 100 during the following academic year.
“The programme is a pathway to the attainment of the CA (SA) designation that students are now able to attain whilst reminiscing in their province and around their support structures. The Majority of the staff members are young Africans and the students can relate to them. The programme is designed with wrap-around support and is tailored to support the student demographic that we service,” said Kwahene.
Looking to expand, he said the department is in the process of applying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting, for which obtaining of SAICA accreditation would also be a top priority.
- By Thando Cezula
