Cum Laude Graduates on their Way Towards Becoming Chartered Accountants

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Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting cum laude graduates Ms Safiyya Tootla, Ms Tasnim Mahomedy, Mr Ajitesh Singh, and Mr Mohammed Mansoor and are on the road towards becoming Chartered Accountants (CA).

Tootla says achieving the qualification was very useful because it provided her with various financial and management skills together with a choice of career options in the commerce sector.

She was awarded the Magelapuru William Makgoba Scholarship during her first-year of study and says it was a great honour as it had helped build up her confidence and made her realise her potential. ‘The recognition and appreciation by the University gave me a milestone to always remember and hold dear,’ she said.

‘My goal is to complete my Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy this year and go on to serve my articles with PricewaterhouseCoopers to help achieve my CA (SA) designation,’ she added.

For Mahomedy while the degree required a lot of work, he says he was up for the challenge. ‘As I worked and observed the results I was achieving, it motivated me to do even better and gave me the confidence to continue. There were sacrifices that I had to make along the way but they were definitely worth it. I also realised that hard work pays off when I received awards at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)-UKZN Students Awards ceremony for being a top achiever.’

He is currently registered for a Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy and plans to continue with his articles next year. ‘I am motivated to make a mark in not only the corporate environment, but the world as well,’ said Mahomedy.

Singh is currently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy which he says is the next stepping stone to the realisation of his long-awaited dream and will then serve his articles at KPMG, hopefully going on to be a Registered Auditor (RA).

‘From childhood, I wanted to be a CA. This was attributable to shadowing my dad who was a Chartered Accountant daily and going to see clients with him. Watching him being passionate about his work fired up the passion in me. Since then, at every step of my schooling career, I made decisions that would bring me closer to realising this dream.’

Mansoor plans to use the qualification to qualify as a Chartered Accountant (SA) and be a “captain” in the business world. ‘I love everything about this industry - from the fast-paced, constantly changing environment to the ability to network and interact with hundreds of different individuals. This career will allow me to move forward. It gives me the opportunity to be part of the “lifeblood” of economic activity, and to me, that’s amazing,’ he said.

Words: Lungile Ngubelanga 

Photograph: Rogan Ward