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CONGRATULATIONS SLS 2018 FINALISTS

SAICA CONGRATULATES THE 2018 SLS TOP 30

03

Take a look around you, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: the world is in desperate need of good leaders.

By leaders, I mean people who are willing to base every action and decision on their values and principles. Because here’s the thing that many people don’t realise: leadership is not determined by your title or your technical expertise, but rather by your ability to uphold your values in the face of resistance—the capacity to look into the future and find solutions to the issues that you see coming. It also requires the skills to build strong relationships with those who can help to make that future a reality.

Our young CAs(SA) and aspiring CAs(SA) illustrate this well.

Take, Likeleli Monyamane, a former University of the Free State student and a newly-qualified CA(SA). Two years ago, Likeleli was selected as one of a thousand young Africans aged between 25 and 35 to attend the Mandela Washington Fellowship in the USA. Based on her participation in the Fellowship, she was asked to speak at the 2017 Southern African Regional Conference on how to use financial inclusion as a means to increase the participation of women in social, economic and political spheres in Africa. Today, she works at PwC in Ireland and mentors a Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) fellow from Botswana. She is also pursuing her MBA at the African Leadership University Business School, where her subjects include entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as economics in the context of African business.

Another example is Mpho Ntshudisang, a qualified CA(SA) at Rand Merchant Bank. As a former bursary fund recipient, Mpho has served as part of the ABASA bursary committee, an initiative aimed to raise funding to sponsor students studying towards becoming a CA(SA). In this capacity, he also mentored many of these bursary students through their university journey because he understood the pressures students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds face when entering university. In addition to this role, Mpho serves on the Thuthuka alumni committee where he gives back to the bursary fund that sponsored his CA(SA) dream.

Chantyl MulderSAICA Executive Director: Nation Building and CA(SA)

Student Leadership Summit 2018

05Student Leadership Summit 2018

Or take Lianda du Plessis, a Stellenbosch University alumnus and CA(SA) trainee at PwC. As part of her responsible leadership initiatives, Lianda has tutored first and second year aspiring CA(SA) students, and took part in volunteer work, such as at an HIV-testing hospital project for farm workers in the Porterville area. But here’s the thing you may not realise about the three young CAs(SA) above, not only have they demonstrated and lived the values of responsible leadership from a young age but during their university careers they were all part of SAICA’s annual Student Leadership Summit (SLS).

Why does SLS matter?

As a profession that recognises itself as a critical player in creating value for the country and indeed the world, one of our main objectives is to instil the value of responsible leadership in all of those who are part of the profession already, as well as those who are working towards achieving the designation. It is against this backdrop that the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) launched the SLS a decade ago. During this time, we have been delighted to see just how many of our previous SLS Top 30 are making a positive impact on the world around them.

This year, is no exception. Being responsible and effective leaders is exactly what this year’s SLS Top 30 have shown that they can be. Through their insightful essays and solution-driven approaches to issues such as the application of ethical standards in business, how to ensure transformation and independence within the chartered accountancy profession, and the responsibilities that aspiring CAs(SA) have in terms of building better communities in their home towns, each one of these students has illustrated that he or she has what it takes to apply his or her mind to issues of national and professional importance. They are thinking about how they, as young professionals, can use their skills to help drive our country forward.

On behalf of the SAICA, I’d like to congratulate each of the Top 30 for identifying the role they play as future business leaders of South Africa. The thoughts and solutions you have presented in your essays epitomise the concepts that are core to SAICA’s values, and they prove that you are trustworthy beacons of hope for tomorrow. Remember, success is a taking thing, significance is a giving thing. Lead a life that is significant.

We look forward to watching each of you go out and change the world.

Deloitte has partnered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) for their 10th Annual Leadership Summit. The CA Profession is not limited to Auditing. We, at Deloitte, are passionate about growing leaders and entrepreneurs.

In line with our passion, we have developed a lingo to express our thoughts in an unobvious way, which is likely to start a conversation and ignite a paroxysm of enthusiasm.

Carpe Omnia – Be more. Be bold enough to seize the Opportunity. Be Invincible.

Likha Always – Work smart. Be extraordinary. Make yourself proud. Be Invincible.

Sempiternal Legacy – Passionate. This is what sets you apart. This is what drives us. Be Invincible.

The SAICA Leadership Summit is the perfect platform for us as an organization to Make an Impact that Matters!

© 2018. For information, contact Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited #FutureFacesOfDeloitte

WINNINGESSAYS

Lungelo NgobeseStellenbosch University

1st PLACE

TOPICSAICA believes it’s important for CAs to grow not just the South African economy but also the economy of the city/town from where they come. In your opinion, what contributions do you believe a CA(SA) could make to better the community from where he/she comes from and how would you go about doing this?


In an effort to generate solutions to a multi-dimensional, ever-so-sensitive array of challenges, it is important to start from the beginning. The Oxford Online Dictionary defines an ‘economy’ as the state of a country or region in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money- a careful management of available resources (Oxford Dictionaries | English, 2018).

At first glance, the practical application of the definition seems to suggest the impossible – how can a professional restructure an entire region’s economy without Vusi Thembekwayo’s business acumen, the power of legislature at the palm of their hands, Nelson Mandela’s leadership potential and of course, the necessary resources? To start off, I believe that we should acknowledge that the chartered accountancy profession consists of a melting pot of personalities, a microcosm of the general population that has about 50% introverts and 50% extroverts (Ross, 2018). This will give any chartered accountant (CA) encouragement to make an attempt – safe in the knowledge that not everyone has to re-invent the wheel.

In this day and age, pre-empting the future given what is available is just as vital as living in the moment. CAs need to have a clear understanding of the communities from which they come, to ensure that they address the appropriate needs. For example, most of rural KwaZulu-Natal is still subject to customary laws that limit women’s rights to property ownership and participation in decision-making processes. With over 60% of South African households being run by women single-handedly (Pace, 2018), having programmes that equip them with skills such as the power of budgeting, how to save (and where to save), how to be employment-ready (interview skills, CV -writing skills), combating indebtedness and access to information could be revolutionary. A more conservative (and inclusive) approach could include ‘back-to-school’ stokvels to beat the “Jan-you-worry” rush.

While lobbying traditional counsels to be more accommodating may seem like a life-long journey, interim actions like pioneering support groups under regular progress management for the above and adopting a hands-on approach is a step in the right direction.

Economic growth has become a 21st century buzz-word for every politician, with a focus on youth development and social justice. In keeping with this theme, South Africa has a substantial population of elderly people that were once active economic participants, with life skills lost as they cross over. CAs could marry the two polarised worlds by recruiting elderly people to offer guidance (whether career-wise or socially) to recruited young talents. This will not only cultivate mentor-mentee relationships and a culture of networking, but will also restore the dignity and position of our elderly people in societies everywhere. Sometimes, the difference between good and great (in the context of unlocking potential and building character), rests on the nudges we receive along the way.

Spaza shops and taverns, have existed in various South African communities for years on end; proving that one does not need 18 floors of office space to be an active economic participant. The trend, however, is that international residents are saturating this market in township residential areas and in turn, causing profits to circulate in other countries and not among the people within the area. Furthermore, this causes the value of surrounding properties to drop gradually (making it unattractive for business ventures like Bed and Breakfasts), citing noise pollution, loitering individuals and loss of privacy as key concerns. In line with this, many professionals choose to leave their communities for ‘greener pastures’ that results in their previous communities staying the same, more often than not, stagnating economic growth there.

With the objective of long-term economic growth in mind, I believe that CAs with public sector knowledge should encourage municipalities to consciously plan townships with the vision of centralising retail businesses over many locations, in order to make way for residentially-friendly business models like internet cafes or bed and breakfasts. While having our foreign brothers and sisters around is all good and well, I also believe that a level of regulation of how many foreign-owned shops operate should be maintained to even out the competition in this regard. This may seem counter-intuitive to the goals of economic growth in the short term, however, if the cost-benefit analysis in the long term makes sense, there is no reason why there shouldn’t be an attempt.


CAs interact with other CAs almost all the time, providing the perfect setting for collaborative efforts to implement ideas that one person can’t do alone. This involves forming small groups where each person’s goals for their community are discussed, consolidated with the big picture of the group and plans are put in place to address each goal systematically and in unity. The synergistic benefits that each person could bring include sharing contacts, professional experiences and even funding by those that are entrepreneurial at heart. In order for this to work, incentivisation is key. In acknowledging the effort that will be required, SAICA could offer some relief on the 120 hours of CPD for every x number of well-recorded hours spent on projects. Making it competitive and attaching a hefty lump sum to the best and most effective project may well be a deal-sweetener.

A practical constraint in community-based collaborations is that CAs are either widely dispersed, are not aware of each other’s intentions to improve their communities, or better yet, are in the same vicinity but can’t get hold of each other. Thanks to modern day interventions, SAICA could look into adding a function to their website that works like Tinder (without the romance), to link up CAs from similar regions who have wilfully subscribed in order to facilitate forming the small groups discussed above.

Many professionals have the heart for nation-building as they can attest to the adage: ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. The biggest obstacles, however, are time, ideas that that remain just that and a lack of support/encouragement. With the usual 8-5 workday, 2 hours of traffic and life in-between, it takes a bold step of sacrifices and a raging fire of passion to drive CAs (or anyone really) into making a positive economic change in the communities from which they come- a price that is often too high to pay.


Ashleigh LangtonUniversity of Johannesburg

2nd PLACE

TOPICMost leaders claim that they want the utmost ethical standards upheld by those they lead, but many are shocked to discover that even with the best intentions, their leadership style is corrupting those in their organisation. As a future business leader, how would you ensure that your leadership choices do not inadvertently encourage misconduct and bureaucracy?

In the last 15 years the ethicality and reliability of business leaders throughout many professions has been questioned by instances of corruption which identify flaws within management and its leadership styles. Leadership is not confined to a position or status, it is a course of action or service which facilitates satisfactory results across all areas of business and its various stakeholders (Thakathi, 2014). In pursuance of discussing leadership, the following essay will encompass the fundamental and professional principles that govern leadership, including leadership strategies which will prioritise ethical business practices. After an examination of leadership principles and strategies, the essay will provide steps on how to practically implement strategies that would result in successful and effective leadership. A qualitative research method was employed to derive a contextual understanding of the topic.

Current business leaders do not fully understand ethical and effective leadership. Their choices are result-based which usually does not consider the triple bottom line of the business. Result-based choices often result in unethical leadership which encourages unethical behaviour and autocratic leadership styles within the workplace. These autocratic leadership styles often lead to blind faith from employees with executives rarely having to justify their decisions. It may seem as though leaders include the opinions of all parties associated with their decisions, but the lack of employee’s challenging management’s ideas creates a false democracy. To be an effective leader their choices should include communication between different hierarchies within the entity. (Root, 2018) The solution is for leaders to adopt a “Why first” leadership style, each decision must be centred on the entity’s core purpose not only profit maximisation.

Choices made by leaders should answer the following two questions: 1) Will the decision create an environment which drives employees to unethical measures to meet targets? and 2) Does this decision match the core purpose as a business? The first criteria requires leaders to apply their professional judgement and integrity when making a decision. The decision of the leader should strike a balance between being realistic and giving the employees a stretch goal to strive towards. Leaders need to adopt a strategy that focuses on meeting objectives


in a sustainable manner (Scherrer, 2018). The second criteria requires leaders to consider whether the decision will clash with the main purpose of business and its values. The leader will have to gain knowledge on the vision of the business and whether other factors that influence the purpose of the business will be negatively affected. An example of the second criteria is whether the decision conflicts with any strategy or elements of the businesses mission statement.

Leaders assist in setting the ethical tone of the organisation and affect the ethical conduct of members of the organisation (Trevino & Brown, 2004).Ethical leadership is defined as complying with universal moral standards, which is a prerequisite to success and maintaining adequate operations within an organisation. To ensure leadership choices include ethicality, leaders should understand ethics and engage in ethical communications. It is of importance that leader’s first acknowledge that their actions have a ripple effect on the members of the company (Ataya, 2016). A five-step model called “The ethical roadmap” should be followed to ensure leadership choices consider the ethicality of a decision and minimise misconduct. The five- step model can be practically implemented through an organisation or individually by leaders of a business. Step one includes the understanding the organisations values and committing to making ethical choices to set an example to others. This requires leaders to have knowledge of ethics within the workplace and understand the difference between decisions that are right for only the company and what is morally correct in terms of those decisions. Step one can be implemented through a handbook known as the “Clean Business Manual”, which outlines the values and ethical codes of the organisation, detailing how it can be used when making decisions.

Step two requires leaders to examine whether their decisions are ethical through communication with other leaders and employees, the second step should be implemented through the establishment of an Ethical Review committee comprised of only independent non-executive directors who will review the decisions of management. Consultation about decisions should be made with all levels of management, which should become a norm for leaders to


the extent that it is practical. Step three involves supporting an ethical system within the organisation and encouraging ethics through workshops, media and employee evaluations. The third step requires a full commitment and participation of leaders in promoting ethics within the organisation through their actions and decisions in implementing the five-step model. The third step should be implemented by incorporating ethical workshops into CPD (continuous professional development) programmes for employees.

Step four requires leaders to follow policies which promote fairness in the business, this step is necessary when making any decision and should be interconnected with all other steps within the five-step model. This step can be implemented through the disclosure of the effects of key decisions made by management in the integrated report with an emphasis on how the decisions fit the business’s mission statement. Lastly, step five requires leaders to publicly submit themselves to annual ethical evaluations to display that ethical business starts from the very top, this can be implemented through an “ethical leadership summit” held by the organisation or suggested by leaders. The summit would be an ideal place for the Ethical Review committee to present their findings on the decisions of management in the past year.

In conclusion the current decision-making model used in business which prioritises the bottom line is deeply flawed and creates significant pressures on employees to act unethically to meet unattainable targets. Business’s need to return to their mission statements and begin making decisions that support their reasons for existence. The 5-step Ethical Roadmap is an ideal model for transforming a business’s decision-making process to one which is purpose focused and promotes ethical decisions rather than those which chase solely monetary gain. The most successful businesses of the future will be those who understand that the days of a single bottom line focus is over.

Asanda MhluziUniversity of Cape Town

3rd PLACE

TOPICSAICA believes it’s important for CAs to grow not just the South African economy but also the economy of the city/town from where they come. In your opinion, what contributions do you believe a CA(SA) could make to better the community from where he/she comes from and how would you go about doing this?

Poverty is not what you have but what you live. This means that it is a state of mind that can be influenced by your environment and the people around you. The community that I come from is Langa township in Cape Town, it is drug and gang infested. I have a vision to change how people in my community live.

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be taken out of such an environment by being enrolled in a non-profit independent school Christel House South Africa, previously run by Nick Sheridan a CA qualified in Ireland which whom I have learned a lot from during my high school years. The school has recently appointed a new CEO Adri Marias the former CEO and co-founder of TSIBA this year. I am blessed to work in the graduate program of my school with such influential people including our donors.

Christel House South Africa is an independent school which aims to break the cycle of poverty and has an ethos and culture of giving back. The way charted accountants can give back firstly is by changing the impoverished mindset of individuals in the communities they come from.

I grew up with a single parent, my mother has sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am right now. I am one of many in my township, there is a large number of children who grow up with absent fathers in my community. It still scares me that one day I will become a father and I have no practical idea of what role a father has in a family. Nevertheless, I have fought my way to a university by and I will become a CA(SA). Being the shining light in my family already puts me in a position of great pressure. I know I need to come on top of the mount and reach the highest peak. Breaking the cycle of poverty, it should not be just for my family but for the community as a whole. This also comes with the notation that with my success I will not build a taller fence but a longer table.

Giving back to my community does not start when I am a CA (SA) but it starts now. I am currently involved in the Christel House mentorship program and we are at the starting stages of developing a graduate committee that will take care of the outreach programs with insightful ideas from our CEO.


My other significant involvement in the community is a UCT organization called Phaphama, it is my first year in this organization. We provide free consultations to start-up businesses in the townships and this has immensely increased my business skills and at the same time I am giving back.

The road to becoming a charted accountant is not easy. I can recall the week I spent as a learner and coming back as a leader in the Thuthuka maths camps. The different journeys you hear from the speakers are real and it shows you no matter what life throws at you if you have a clear vision, tenacity, and grit you will succeed.

Being a black charted accountant means much more, we are infiltrating spaces that were previously denied access to. The bigger picture for me is to have more black faces in the boardroom tables who are recognized and acknowledge not just there to show face.

When am I a fully qualified charted account I will have much more capacity to uplift my community, but I need to take care of the black tax because before I can improve the community at large, my family needs to be sustained to prove the Christel House model actually works because Francois Pienaar came to our school and congratulated the model of breaking the cycle of poverty and I want to be that example.

After taking care of black tax I can tackle the challenges in the community at the grass root level. One of my goals is to be one of Christel House South Africa’s board of directors. In this way I know I have a strong concrete platform to implement sustainable upliftment of the community programs. I have already taken the first steps of connecting the Christel House South Africa guidance counsellor with a SAICA transformation representative. I would like to make a presentation on the CA profession journey at a university level and how the learners can apply for the bursary.


For people in my community, the only door to fruitful sustainable economic freedom is education. I have had many friends whom I have grown up with who have died trying to take the shortcut. Being involved in gangs and selling drugs. I have lost eight friends, every day I think about them. It hurts me how they have passed away at such a very young age, and here I am the lucky one who had the opportunity to study at Christel House South Africa and get into the University of Cape Town. Sometimes guilt comes in when I think about it. Deep down I know they are looking over me and wanting me to succeed and uplift the community to ensure no other kid has to go through the same temptations they gave into.

The other way I can uplift my community is to teach my people how to be entrepreneurial and create jobs not only for themselves but for others. My community has a lack of entrepreneurial drive. This a serious need as there are more and more people who are being unemployed. I have an idea of taking the Phaphama consulting model to another level by connecting people within the community who are business minded to solve problems specific to their communities. Eventually this may have possible partnerships or support from larger businesses which would be a huge success. By giving people the necessary tools to start businesses initiatives I will be saving people from poverty. Providing role models and guidance to people can help immensely.

My ideas to uplift the community will not only alleviate poverty but there will be less drug abuse, a decrease in crime levels. Financially people will be given the opportunity to earn more money thus less strain on the government. This will result in the overall increase in the national standard of living if other communities and the government can adopt the same principles of having people from an impoverished community to give back.

LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT TITLES, POSITIONS, OR FLOW CHARTS. IT IS ABOUT ONE LIFE INFLUENCING ANOTHER

““

- John C. Maxwell

WHERE ARE OUR SLS TOP 30 NOW?

Winner ofSLS 2009

Likeleli Mphutlane has over five years’ experience in the accounting profession. She is the founding director of Inspire Innovation, a company that provides consulting and training services in accounting, taxation, and financial management. Likeleli also serves on various board committees as a finance specialist. She is a qualified chartered accountant.

Likeleli oversees the accounting education program at Montech Institute, a college based in Maseru. She is also the co-founder of the Lesotho Young Professionals Forum, and the curator of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Maseru Hub. She uses these platforms to advance initiatives she is passionate about, such as youth development, economic empowerment, and leadership development. Recently, Likeleli was invited to be part the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the flagship programme of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Upon completion of the Fellowship, Likeleli plans on growing the consultancy into a choice employer for accounting and finance professionals in Lesotho and South Africa.


Likeleli Mphutlane

Winner ofSLS 2014

Nthabiseng Tooka is the Strategy Officer at Imakandi Energy Service, a position she has held for the past four years. Imakandi is a global integrated services company determined to deliver efficient technology-driven solutions that meet the strategic objectives of its clients.

Nthabiseng is passionate about building the community and says that the reason she was born is “to affect the lives of others.” To this end, while at university, Nthabiseng dedicated some of her time to helping fellow aspiring CAs(SA) with their journeys through the work she did as the president of the UNISA chapter of the Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA), a non-profit organisation founded on the premise of mutual support and personal development of African Women CAs(SA).

Nthabiseng Tooka STRIVE NOT TO BE A SUCCESS, BUT RATHER TO BE OF VALUE

““

- Albert Einstein


Winner ofSLS 2016

Mvelo Hlope, is one of our more recent SLS winners. Despite his young age, he has been giving back to the community as a responsible leader for years.

Mvelo is currently a candidate fellow at the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation. This initiative provides university funding in addition to access to support and development to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. With the help of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, Mvelo has put his entrepreneurial spirit into action through the work he does as the CEO and Co-founder of Zaio, a company that assists student developers to build an IT skills profile through coding challenges and practical experience in order to help them land their dream job.

Mvelo Hlope LEADERSHIP IS AN ACTION, NOT A POSITION

“ “- Donald McGannon


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