Honing their chartered accountancy skills in the commercial profession, four University of Johannesburg (UJ) students have been selected to be part of the 30 finalists in the national future business leaders’ competition after a 1000 word essay to the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). Stephen Govender, Kwena Mosenye, Thandokazi Kweyama, and Primrose Moyo attended the Student Leadership Summit 2016 on Thursday 6 and Friday 7, October 2016, hosted by Standard Bank.
The competition is only open to students who are studying towards a chartered accounting degree. To qualify into the Final 30, entrants had to write a 1000 word essay on one of the three given topics: Outlining views on current university funding crisis under #FeesMustFall and coming up with ways to come up with funding for tertiary students; Describing the role SAICA can play to upgrade South Africa’s economic status to avoid junk status; and Improving the role SAICA, candidates and officers can play to discourage ill practice from candidates in the Assessment of Professional Competence exam.
The Summit interaction expanded their experiences about the CA stream and the qualities that a CA needs to excel. “I have learned that that the CA qualification goes far beyond the money and prestige it comes with,” said Primrose Moyo.” The UJ student continued,” It is about influence and the ability to create value wherever you are. .” “This competition just re-confirmed my passion about this career and how within every individual lays unique value that nobody can deny or diminish. You just have to own it!”.
Thandokazi Kweyama also had a good experience from the interactions at the Summit: “The experience has been so powerful and engaging. We have learned more about ourselves, the leadership styles and how to embrace them. We networked with some of the most powerful people from the continent and were tested in our different soft skills and learning things that money cannot even fulfil,” she said..
The students put themselves up for South Africa’s potential future business leaders that will be regarded as game changers in the accounting profession, and networking with top accounting and business professionals, putting UJ on the forefront of university leaders that contribute some of the best qualified young South African CAs to the country’s workforce.
Prof Alex Van der Watt and Lecturer, Ms Mariska McKenzie from the University’s Department of Accountancy attended the Summit in support of the four UJ students, with Prof Van der Watt giving a vote of thanks at the main ceremony