Wellington learner is the province’s top aspiring accountant

It takes hard work and determination to set yourself apart when you are competing with 401 435 other learners from around the country. But this is what Philip Visage did when he recently claimed the title of ‘top accounting learner in the Western Cape’. Then again, what else do you expect from a learner who illustrated his accounting prowess earlier in 2017 by placing second in the Western Cape in the Accounting Olympiad run annually by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)?

‘We are delighted that Philip Visage’s 100% pass mark earned him the title of “top accounting learner in the Western Cape”. This is a phenomenal achievement for Visage, who also placed second in the province in the 2017 SAICA Accounting Olympiad,’ says Gugu Makhanya, SAICA’s Senior Executive: Transformation and Growth.

Visage will be taking his passion for accounting further when he starts his BAccLLB at Stellenbosch University this year. This unique degree, consisting of elements from both the LLB and the BAcc degree, equips students with the essentials of jurisprudence and the foundations of financial accounting, management accounting, taxation and auditing so that they can qualify as either chartered accountants or legal practitioners. ‘We cannot wait to follow Philip’s progress to see where the future takes him,’ Mahkanya commented.

She continued: ‘We are extremely proud of the achievement of the Western Cape’s top performing matriculants. This is especially true of the 11 matrics who counted among the province’s “top 50 matrics” and participated in SAICA initiatives such as our provincial maths development camps, the Accounting Olympiad, or both. The learners were awarded this top 50 status according to the marks they obtained in their six best subjects – including two languages, mathematics and three other subjects excluding life orientation.’

SAICA’s Thuthuka Education Upliftment Fund (TEUF) invests countless hours and notable resources to organise and host annual initiatives such as its maths development camps and the Accounting Olympiads. The team therefore eagerly awaits the matric results announcement every year, so that they can track ‘their’ learners’ performance. It turns out that many of the country’s top learners are individuals whom SAICA had already honoured and recognised as grade 11 and 12 top achievers.

‘Over the past 15 years, SAICA has taken decisive action on behalf of the accounting profession to contribute to improving education in the country – especially where the subjects of mathematics and accounting are concerned. Education support initiatives like TEUF play a crucial role in developing, encouraging and supporting learners in their efforts to enter scarce-skills professions like chartered accountancy. Results like these confirm just how valuable a contribution SAICA and the profession is making to ensure that this happens,’ concludes Makhanya.

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading accounting institutes. The Institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 40 000 members who are chartered accountants [CAs(SA)] and hold positions as CEOs, MDs, board directors, business owners, chief financial officers, auditors and leaders in their spheres of business operation. Most of these members operate in commerce and industry, and play a significant role in the nation’s highly dynamic business sector and economic development.

One of SAICA’s prime goals is to contribute towards strengthening the country’s economy by playing a significant and leading role in transformation and skills development. The Thuthuka Education Upliftment Project, a pioneering initiative to promote transformation in the profession, was launched in the Eastern Cape in 2002 and has grown into a national project.

Thuthuka’s objective is to transform the demographics of the profession to reflect those of the country in terms of race and gender, and provide educational support to African learners and students for the benefit of the profession, while simultaneously helping to uplift communities. Therefore, SAICA prides itself in leading the chartered accountancy profession as a socially responsible driver of business and skills development by supporting and encouraging enterprise development initiatives.

Ms Karin Iten
Project Manager: Marketing and Communications
SAICA Nation Building Division
Tel: ‪011 621 6913
Email: ***@saica.co.za

Ms Nwabisa Tsengiwe
Senior Executive: Marketing, Communication and PR
SAICA Nation Building Division
Tel: ‪011 621 6878
Email: ***@saica.co.za